Having never heard of the Foundling Museum, or indeed of Geoffrey Preston, getting an invite to todays Press Preview was a surprise, but a good one. Originally founded by Thomas Coram, the then Foundling Hospital admitted its first babies in 1741, and continued as such until 1954, when it placed its last pupil in foster care, having cared for and educated around 25,000 children. Even though in the 18th Century London was a thriving city, poverty was rife, and it is estimated that as many as 1000 babies a year were left in the streets and so became known as 'foundlings'. As the Foundling Hospital operated until 1954, some of its later residents still have their own memories of what it was like to live here.
Both well known artists George Friedrich Handel and William Hogarth were influential in the hospital, with Handel donating an organ and conducting a yearly concert of Messiah in the Hospital's chapel, and Hogarth encouraging the leading artists of the time to donate work, thereby establishing the UK's first public art gallery. Today, the hospital continues as the children's charity Coram, whilst the adjacent Foundling Museum, built in the 1930's on the site of the original hospital, continues to have art exhibitions and events on a regular basis. Seeing both the paintings and plasterwork up close, really brings home the time and skill which have gone into making it. 'Lines of Beauty' is all about Rococo Plasterwork, it includes small, beautifully crafted relief panels, as well as the Museums' amazing Rococo ceiling designed by William Walton. Heavily influenced by nature, this type of decorative plasterwork depicts the many different types of leaves and flowers found all around us, as well as animals and people. The exhibition explains how it is made from original drawing to finished product, with various stages in between. I was lucky enough to meet Geoffrey Preston, who explained that stucco plaster, (essentially a mix of lime mortar and gypsum), is not an easy material to work with, taking years of practise to perfect. Whereas there is a lot of symmetry within the works, (ceilings, relief panels, etc.), no 2 pieces are the same as they are all hand sculpted. Throughout the exhibition, you are able to take a journey through the painstaking creative process, drawings, photographs, clay models and silicone moulds, as well as seeing displays of the artists tools and raw materials. The current exhibition: 'Lines of Beauty, Rococo Plasterwork and the art of Geoffrey Preston' runs from tomorrow through to 6th September.
