Heaven in a hell of war

Excellent exhibition at Somerset House of the Stanley Spencer pictures from the Sandham Memorial Chapel which is currently undergoing renovation.

It was fascinating to see these pictures in a different context. I know the chapel well and love the space and the art in but this was a chance to look at the work with a fresh eye. They were beautifully hung in the central gallery of the space in the same arrangement as in the chapel but slightly lower.

I was so impressed that instead of putting labels on each work there was a small leaflet to pick up to read more about each picture. This saved much blocking f the works by people reading labels.

I loved the fact that the works were put into context by not only including sketches for them but also portraits of Spencer at this time and two war works by Henry Lamb who he was staying with when he devised the scheme and got the commission.

I will definitely be making at least one return visit as I find however often you see these pictures you see something more in them.

Review
Independent

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