I have lived in Southampton for the past 10 months, but have only really seen the city from a student view. I decided to visit the internationally renowned Southampton City Art Gallery, to soak up some culture. The GalleryI was given a tour by Esta Mion-Jones assistant curator, who outlined the major pieces of the gallery's collection. What struck me most about the gallery was the wide range of art work which is accessible to the public. The gallery does not stock the work of local artists but focuses on artists who have national or international recognition for their work. This guarantee's a high quality of work on display. The 3,500 strong collection is so large that it cannot be displayed all at once in the single gallery. Instead the artwork is regularly circulated to allow the public to view a wide variety of pieces. These varies between classical masters, medieval altars and video art, demonstrating the range of mediums with which artists can work. Dan HaysThe main portion of my tour focused on the temporary exhibition of work by the artist Dan Hays. This is the largest collection of work by an artist who is pushing the boundaries of landscape painting. The work was originally inspired by Dan entering his name into the Goggle internet search engine, and finding the web site of Dan Hays in Colorado. This web site contained web cam shots of the Colorado landscape, which had been heavily pixelated. Dan took these images and painted them onto canvas.  | | Dan Hays 2005 Oil on Canvas by Dan Hays |
Although the two Dans have never met, they both have important influences on the work. Dan Hays in Colorado provides the variety of images which Dan Hays in the UK transcribes to canvas. The pixelated images forces your eye to constantly scan the painting, to make sense of the image. Every individual has preferences for different art works. I connected most with the work of Dan Hays, it's hard to explain why. Possibly it is the fact that it is normal for me to see distorted computer images, but not to see them painted on canvas. The Dan Hays exhibition leaves Southampton at the end of August, this collection is the only opportunity to see such a large collection of work from a talented artist of our time. Regardless of your art preferences Southampton City Art Gallery fully caters for all. With free admission it is well worth a visit for a cultural experience in Southampton. Southampton City Art Gallery, Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 7LOpening Times: Tues – Sat: 10am – 5pm Sun: 1 – 4pm Closed Monday Tel: 023 8083 2277 Email:art.gallery@Southampton.gov.uk www.southampton.gov.uk/art Paintings Used: - Colorado Impressions 12a (Beaver Creek, 11-09-02) oil on canvas, by Dan Hays
- Dan Hays, 2005, oil on canvas, Dan Hays
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