Opinion piece - Whitworth Art Gallery

Established over 100 years ago in 1889, Whitworth Art Gallery holds some of the most remarkable, and many extraordinary pieces of art work, and all right here in Manchester. Home to a broad range of textiles, sculptures, watercolours and modern art, I was overwhelmed with how much magnificent art can be held all under the roof of one museum, and in my home town.
One such magnificent piece of art has to be ‘Genesis;’ I think it would safe to say that this certainly does have a story behind it. Positioned at almost the entrance of the museum, the Genesis sculpture is most definitely an eye opener; at a first glance, many people pose the question, ‘is this really art?’ and in my opinion I would have to say, yes, undeniably, it is.
Created by Sir Jacob Epstein from 1929 until 1931, Genesis is huge in size, mass and beauty; clearly it rebels against the ‘rules’ of artwork, which only enhances its splendour. The marble sculpture portrays a pregnant, naked lady, with a face of what could only be considered revolting, yet for some reason it was hard to take my eyes off her. An in-proportion body, mammoth hands and thighs, and over exaggerated facial features, yes this woman is marvellous. In my mind, (and I’m sure in Epstein’s mind also) Genesis asks its audience, ‘why does art always have to show average beauty?’ The sculpture forces the fact that not only is there beauty in everyone, but also in pregnancy. ‘Genesis,’ meaning ‘birth’ could not only literally signalise the fact that the woman is pregnant, but also Epstein clearly gives the birth of a very different form of magnificence; by displaying beauty in a very unusual way. It combines pregnancy, culture and feminism; standing up and becoming proud of what you are, who you are, and what you are made of.
At the time of its creation, people were shocked that Epstein could be so ‘grotesque’ by showing this naked, pregnant woman. Pregnancy was something you should have hidden; women should stay covered up; but thanks can only be given to Sir Epstein for breaking these ‘rules’ once and for all.
However, one can only offer some criticism for the gallery after such praise. Whitworth Art Gallery is the home of many pieces by Joseph Mallord William Turner, worldly famous for his watercolour paintings, such as ‘Moonlight on Lake Lucerne,’ created in 1841. The collection held at Whitworth consists of some of his more popular paintings, many worth millions of pounds. However, some of his work was not really spectacular; I couldn’t help but think that between the work of Turner and that of Epstein there was really no comparison, and certainly thought Turners collection at the gallery had been over rated; so much so that I was disappointed with this part of Whitworth!
Another famous piece I observed on my visit to the Whitworth was ‘Frontispiece, The Ancient Days,’ by William Blake. I was surprised to see that poetry was not all Blake was good at! A relief etching finished in pen and ink, although small, the painting displays authority and wisdom and Blake has truly captured the power of the ‘ancient of days.’

By Amy Coombs
Manchester iJourno Group