Bermuda National Gallery’s exhibition, entitled The Power of Art, explores contemporary issues while celebrating our permanent collection alongside loans of art. In one gallery space, the Watlington Room, we explore how artists’ work can directly influence each other or can appear referential. Sometimes when we see a work of art we are reminded of another artist or project. Pablo Picasso once said of Henri Matisse: “No one has ever looked at Matisse’s painting more carefully than I; and no one has looked at mine more carefully than he.” With this in mind, we can consider several pairings in the exhibition based on the theme of Influence & Inspiration.

In one pairing, we present a multimedia piece beside an historical painting. The contemporary artist, Charlie Godet Thomas (British/Bermudian, b.1985), created The Lament of the Image (After Richard Wilson) in 2011. To make this work, Godet Thomas took inspiration from the original work, painted c. 1760s, then travelled to Wales to find the actual setting depicted in Classical Landscape with Diana and Actaeon by Richard Wilson (British/Welsh, 1714-1782). When Godet Thomas presented the original artwork to the locals, they reacted by saying that the painting’s setting was “just over that hill” or “just a few miles away”. Driving back and forth across the countryside perhaps informed his decision to give the artwork layers.

The artist says of his work: “The Lament of the Image is a collage featuring a collage. My imagery is projected over Wilson’s and they tangle in a way that makes them impossible to separate as individual works.” The imagery is accompanied by a recording, thus adding another layer of collage. “The accompanying sound is a further element of collage, piecing together texts that talk about the way in which we are trapped, to always bring our past experiences to the image of the present.”

Richard Wilson was the first significant British artist to specialise in landscape painting, while other artists focused on portraiture. By concentrating on mood and atmosphere, Wilson transformed landscape from an art that was essentially topographical and decorative, to one that could be a vehicle for ideas and emotions. Aware of this, Godet Thomas’s artwork is emotionally evocative and philosophical.

In another pairing, Lynn Morrell (Bermudian, b.1951) created a two-piece textile entitled In Memorium Fabrorum, 2011 in response to Portrait of a Lady, c.1610-40, painted by Cornelis de Vos (Flemish, 1585-1651). In studying the painting, Morrell was captivated by the objects that establish the lady: “The fine ruff, the lace cuffs, the embroidered gloves, the gold work panel on her dress and the coral bracelets, proclaim to the world that she is the daughter of and wife of a wealthy man.”

Morrell’s close looking at the oil-on-board painting led to questions that are relevant today: “Has the idea of ‘conspicuous consumption’ changed? Are we any less bound by labels and symbols of success? What of the nameless and faceless people who laboured to produce these beautiful symbols of wealth and power?”

Because of this sensitive inquiry, Morrell “created a diptych, one panel in dark fabrics and one in light fabrics, which deconstructs the painting from around the sitter. Through [her] exploration of the details of the textiles [she] honoured those whose work with needle and thread created the very symbols to which they could never aspire.”

In a pairing that is more referential, two types of clocks stand side-by-side. On the left, a recent mixed media work, Tick, Tock, Tick, 2015, by William Collieson (British, b. 1946). On the right, an 18th-century Longcase Clock with 8-day Calendar, Pogoda Style Hood with Period Hands, by Thomas Blatchley (British, c.1751-c.1780). Collieson is well known for his provocative assemblages, and this is one of his best. Presented in the 2016 Bermuda Biennial, he said this artwork “speaks to both the movement of time and the sound a bomb makes before explosion. The parallel begs the question: are we moving rapidly towards our own extinction?” This rather heavy consideration is offset by its neighbouring artwork that speaks more about fine craftsmanship and functionality, as found in Blatchley’s mahogany and gold leaf clock.

In this gallery space, we explore how artwork from different eras can directly inform contemporary art making, as well as how artwork from different eras can converse with each other. There is a visual conversation here that is recognisable as our minds make comparisons between the objects. You, as the viewer, are needed to bring this conversation to life. Please join us for an art experience that encourages close looking and creative thinking.

Lisa Howie is the executive director of the Bermuda National Gallery and Charles Zuill, PhD, is a founding trustee On Thursday mornings at 10am we offer a free tour with admission. You can also arrange a group tour at education@bng.bm. For more information, visit www.bng.bm or call (441) 295-9428