The Enchanted Interior

The Enchanted Interior explores the sinister implications of a popular theme in nineteenth-century painting: the depiction of the interior as a ‘gilded cage’ in which women are pictured as ornamental objects. Iconic Pre-Raphaelite paintings by artists such as Edward Burne-Jones and William Holman Hunt will be shown alongside works by their female peers such as Emma Sandys and Evelyn De Morgan, who challenge and subvert the idealisation of women as captive damsels or passive beauties. Meanwhile, installation and moving image work by contemporary artists such as Mona Hatoum and Fiona Tan highlight the duality inherent in the interior, as a site that can be a sanctuary or a threat.


I will never be able to look at the Pre Raphaelite paintings in the same light after this exhibition!

If you look at the entrance to the Laing carefully, you can see echos of the exhibition with mysterious shadowy females and the light of the interior of the building beyond, plus the reflections from across the square.

The Lady of Shallot featured in a few paintings.

Today started with a brisk nosebleed for Mum, which delayed her breakfast and left her shaky.

I started to put back CDs and books on the bookshelves emptied for the recent radiator leak. It takes much longer than I anticipated.

After lunch we went with Liz to Newcastle for the exhibition. Mum wasn't comfortable and we had to come home near to the end.

I would have liked more commentary. Some paintings had only the title and no information. It is worth seeing.

Quizzes at home tonight.