Photographing Plas Newydd

I visited Plas Newydd today to photograph the Rex Whistler wall painting. As I remembered the wall painting is very impressive, it also has a comic touch that can be seen in the different details. There was a slight issue with photographing as it was a very dark day (heavy rain all day) and the light fittings only dimly illuminate the wall painting, this might also be an issue when the display is in use (the previous time I visited it was a very bright sunny day with light streaming through the windows). I can see now why galleries and museums are a popular choice for other augmented studies as the lighting is often brighter and more consistent (this may of course be a key issue in relation to the suitability of augmented interpretation for the setting). In order to better understand the mural I listened to many of the guides, who were very knowledgeable about the details of it. The guides are able to convey a lot of information, and are good at using entertaining details. The display would not of course replace the need for guides, as its use is focused more on a personal exploration by the visitor (though it raises the question of whether the guides negate the need for the display? It could be that where the display would really excel is in the additional media that could be potentially included). Other interpretation was pretty minimal, a brief overview was provided by a printed pick-up sheet, and the exhibition next door contains some production photographs and drawings. The following notes outline possible content for the information points (collated from the guide’s descriptions, and the available literature that could be found):

1. Painting details (Painted by Rex Whistler, one piece of canvas woven in France (needed large loom), painted in a London stage scenery studio (Lambeth) over two years, oil painting (kept thin so the painting could be rolled up, transported by train and later to the house by horse and cart), difficult job to hang (paid as much as Rex, had to be ironed to remove bubbles, took three months to get flat), Rex paid £1200 (200 forward), family requested that the painting should be full of details to spark dinner conversation, provide those facing away from the windows with something to look at, mirrors, 12 foot 6 high, 58 feet long, family took over house in 30’s wanted a less formal dining room, initially was going to be military scene, Rex may have been recommended trough lady Anglesey’s brother (duke of Rutland, commissioned panel for Haddon hall, 1933), invited to house 1936, no moral tone (light and frivolous)).
2. The artist sweeping up rose petals (painted himself as a gardener not of the station of Caroline, sweeping up petals (unrequited love), Port Merion in background, Romeo and Juliet (Rex and Caroline), boy relieving himself / stealing apples, Queen Victoria).
3. Family members (The current marquis as a boy fishing without a line (never caught anything), the 6^th marquis depicted as statue, lady Anglesey on grand tour).
4. The collection of interesting buildings (the flag (standard of the family), St Martin in the Fields (London church), Harlech castle (up on the hill), Trajan's column (Rome), a public house in Dublin, Popes Palace (Avignon), Admiralty Arch (London), Cleopatra’s Needle (London), St. Peter's Basilica (Rome), another home of the family, the mountains of Snowdonia in background, shows Rex’s amazing ability to reproduce detailed architecture from memory).
5. The change in building style (regents square (Brighton), put in funfair for children).
6. The central island (Windsor Castle, the abdication-crack in tower, the washing line, three masted sailing ship in original design).
7. The replacement tower (painted over ship (still see masts), Rex’s joke about the scaffolding (will have to be taken down again when the marquis changes his mind, the pan on the roof (pantiles), the ghostly figure).
8. The visual tricks within the painting (flagstone lines, over forty vanishing points (seven perspectives), mountains and town seem to foreshorten, boat appears to change direction, light coming in from different directions).
9. Poseidon walking out of the painting (leaving his crown and trident, Paget coat of arms (left, lord Anglesey), Manners coat of arms (Right, lady Anglesey), net hardest thing to paint).
10. The captain with one oar (the other left on shore, captain Lilly a local resident).
11. The other town (originally to be a lighthouse, an un-built door frontage design for Plas Newydd, church at Caernarfon Castle, government building (Bonn, Germany), Totnes high street Devon, Conway Castle, mountains on the way to Llandudno with Aber Falls (Wales)).
12. The family’s dogs (book and glasses (lady Anglesey always losing), cigarette (Rex just stepped away), fussy dog wearing pearls (Cheeky, French bulldog, would only eat the best cut of beef), other dog (Zannu, Pug)).
13. The cello (belonged to 6^th marquis whilst at Eaton, actual music on sheets (for two hands on piano), broken string).
14. The ceiling (fifteen tile deigns (A for Anglesey, two hundred and fifty tiles, egg and dart moulding, pattern repeated in an L shape, ceiling and fireplaces painted by C.W. Beretta (Italian) to Rex’s designs, sepia, creates illusion of recessed coffered ceiling, painted in situ).
15. The Boats in the bay (Caroline sailing the small boat, red sail (Rex’s passion for Caroline, also appears in red petals and red shawl draped over balcony), the family in the gondola, paddle steamer (possibly Maigret, Waverley, from Liverpool), sixty seven boats, the central boat with the Dutch flag, Marimus boat in distance (spent honeymoon)).