The industrial heartlands of the South Wales valleys may seem an unlikely place to see the works of watercolour artist JMW Turner, but for the month of August his work is displayed alongside that of local artist, Penry Williams at Cyfartha Castle in Merthyr Tydfil.
Merthyr Tydfil was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, as the demand for local coal and iron brought wealth to the Taff Valley. Declining trade, after the Napoleonic Wars, led to a drastic drop in workers’ wages and understandable unrest. This anger led to what is now known as the Merthyr Riot of 1816. The Crawshay family, who ran the Penydarren iron works, were forced to take refuge in a farmhouse until a settlement was agreed.
Penry Williams went to the Royal Academy London
One unlikely outcome of these riots was the emergence of a local artistic talent, who was to become known as “The Welsh Turner”. Penry Williams was born in Ynysfach, about a mile outside Merthyr and his artistic talent was apparent at a very early age. By the age of 16, he had produced watercolours of Ynysfach and the Cyfarthfa Ironworks. After the Merthyr Riot, his portrayal of the uprising came to the attention of ironmaster William Crawshay. Chawshay was so impressed that he financially supported Williams to develop his talent at the Royal Academy School of Art in London. Moving to Rome, he continued to produce watercolours including Festa of the Madonna del Arco, a portrayal of a religious procession near Naples.
Today, the links between Penry Williams, the Crawshay family and Merthyr continue. Cyfarthfa Castle, the home Crawshay had built on the outskirts of Merthyr, is now a museum with a permanent display of 20 works by Williams. Modern critics believe that the 19th century comparisons with Turner may have been over exaggerated; but during August 2010 art lovers will have a unique opportunity to contrast and compare the works of the two artists.
10 Turners are on Display until August 31
To celebrate the Museum’s centenary, 10 works by Turner from The Tate Gallery, in London, will be displayed until August 31. The works cover all stages of Turner’s career, and include two sketches from the artist’s time passing through Merthyr Tydfil in the 18th century.
To support the exhibition, 15-minute gallery talks will be held at noon each weekday throughout August 2010; together with a weekly watercolour class and family colouring workshops course.
Turner’s connections with Wales are not limited to the Merthyr area. He also visited the Wye Valley and his painting of Tintern Abbey is on display at Chepstow Museum until 5th September.
Art lovers heading for London or Paris may, for the next month, think about taking a trip over the Severn Bridge instead.
- Cyfarthfa Castl, Cyfarthfa Park, Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8RE, 01685 723112
John Oyston - I am a freelance travel writer, accountant and further education teacher. I have spent a lifetime travelling across the UK, Western Europe ...
Join the Conversation