IN conjunction with the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Kensington Hotel is offering groups of people the chance to experience their own personal art renaissance. Until July 03, 2016, patrons can merge a visit to the Botticelli Reimagined exhibition with a chance to reinvent themselves as an artist .
Over canapés, a special Botticelli-inspired cocktail, and a half bottle of wine, Glass was part of a group of journalists invited to sample the package at the newly renovated Kensington Hotel. The afternoon concluded with a life drawing class with a live model under the tutelage of the artist Daniel Shadbolt.
The Kensington facade
The exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum is an homage to the Italian renaissance superstar, Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) who is credited with being a central figure in the Golden Age of art and culture.
Venus, 1490s by Sandro Botticelli, Gemäldegalerie Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Preußischer Kulturbesitz.
Photo (c) Volker-H. Schneider
Divided into three rooms, the first was dimly lit yet heavily decorated with work from other artists in a contemporary homage to Botticelli. Some of the works, like http://davidlachapelle.com 2009 Rebirth of Venus and the Birth of Venus from http://vikmuniz.net’s Pictures of Junk series (2008) were direct tributes to Botticelli. Others were chosen by the curator for possessing certain qualities that typified work by the artist. Defined outlines, strong colours, and flatness, are three such traits (according to the exhibition text).
The second room largely connected Botticelli and the Renaissance to the Pre-Raphaelite age of enlightenment as his work was rediscovered largely during the 19th century and was emulated by many of the era’s artists. It seems Botticelli was a very popular artist for counterfeits and the exhibit featured Susannah and the Olders, a work by the Spanish Forgers dating back to 1900.
The figurehead of the Pre-Raphaelite era was Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his intrinsic link to the artist was apparent both due to images created by him in Botticelli’s style and through the inclusion of works by Botticelli that were in Rossetti’s collection.
The Renaissance of Venus, 1877 by Walter Crane, Tate (c) Tate, London 2015
The last room reminded visitors that this is the second largest display of Botticelli’s paintings and drawings to be shown in the UK. Over the years, the Medicis (Renaissance patrons) commissioned portraits, secular frescoes, drawings of The Divine Comedy and mythological subjects. However, when there were religious reforms in Florence, he revised his subject matter and style which led to him falling out of favour. The final room featured a panoply of these later works, which, according to the museum text, were considered a ‘corporate brand of religious image’.These images were churned out in the workshop run by Botticelli near Ognissanti, Italy.
After taking in such a historically and culturally edifying show, the short walk to the Kensington Hotel, which is situated in the heart of South Kensington, proximal to some of London’s greatest cultural attractions, was refreshing break to process the work and information.
The Kensington – Venus Reborn – art class setup
The lively chatter that characterised the walk gave way to a studious silence once the class was underway. This is a condition Shadbolt made sure was in place out of respect to the model. As well as learning about Botticelli and being introduced to artistic techniques, Shadbolt was keen to teach our group some of the etiquette surrounding participation in such a class.
The Kensington – Venus Reborn – art class setup with life model
The conversation reignited during our breaks and the group of formerly unacquainted journalists invited to the afternoon left with a camaraderie that suggests this package would be an ideal way to promote bonding between groups of people who already know one another. The price per head for the experience is £120, with a minimum of eight participants and a maximum of 12. This fee covers a two-and-a-half-hour session with Shadbolt who is an artist and teacher at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art as well as the The Royal Drawing School.
With a choice of charcoal or pencil and the opportunity to use different types of paper, the afternoon provided ample ways to explore one’s inner Botticelli. While some of us may have felt they connected more with their dormant Picasso, the experience was artistically empowering nonetheless.
by Yasmin Bilbeisi
Contact Julia Perowne, Caroline O’Grady or Ellen Thom at Perowne Charles Communication +44 020 7792 8884 at least a week in advance to book the experience for either a Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday afternoon. The Botticelli Reimagined show and package with the hotel run until July 3, 2016.
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