Dickens and the Artists

19 June – 28 October 2012
Exhibition Gallery

‘He had no doubt a strong natural instinct for art, and there are in many of his books descriptions … which only a writer with an innate feeling for artistic effect could possibly have described, and he had also a very just and accurate eye, and a judgement that was entirely his own...’

Kate Perugini, The artist daughter of Charles Dickens writing about her father

There are a very few great figures whose names have come to define a historic period and Charles Dickens is one of them. We can speak equally of the Dickensian period as we can of the Shakespearean age. The writer who was born in February 1812 became one of the most significant cultural figures not only of Victorian Britain, but of the world. 2012 is the year in which to celebrate the bicentenary of his birth alongside many celebrations of the author’s contributions to cultural life.

Charles Dickens was a very visual writer and Dickens and the Artists will explore the significant connection between Charles Dickens and visual art. Dickens grew out of a tradition where illustration formed a significant part of both serial and book. He admired artists, probably more than his fellow writers, and had long and close friendships with several, including Clarkson Stanfield, Daniel Maclise, Frank Stone and William Powell Frith. His own taste in art and his views on art are manifest not only in his novels, but in his magazine Household Words where he publicly attacked Millais’ painting of Christ in the House of His Parents (1849-50). Dickens was interested in both contemporary artists and the art of the Old Masters which he viewed and commented on in his tours of Europe. The influence of Dickens was widespread and many artists chose to depict scenes from his novels as well as being influenced by the subjects and characterization in his novels.

The exhibition will be divided into two sections: Dickens as Art Critic and The Influence of Dickens on Artists. The first will explore his tastes and artistic friendships; his strong like and dislikes. The second will explore the profound impact that Dickens made upon a generation of artists, not only who those drew upon his novels as a source for painting but those who created a painterly equivalent to his novels, rich visual narratives of the Dickensian world. 

Key works:
The exhibition will include paintings from the author’s own collection as well as works that reflect and illustrate the Dickensian world. An exhibition not to be missed by those interested in either Victorian art or the writings of Charles Dickens.

• William Powell Frith RA (1819-1909), Charles Dickens, 1859, V&A (Agreed in principle)
• George Elgar Hicks (1824-1914), One Minute to Six,1860, Museum of London
• James Lobley (1829-1888), Little Nell leaving the Church, 1867, Bradford Museums and Art Galleries (Agreed in principle)
• Sir Samuel Luke Fildes RA (1843-1927), Applicants for Admission to a Casual Ward, 1874, Royal Holloway College