THEMES of nature, emotion and individualism will be explored at Southampton City Art Gallery this spring.

A major new exhibition opens on Friday February 5 that highlights some of the most iconic British works from the successive Romantic movements.

These include the high Romantic era of the early nineteenth century, the Pre-Raphaelites, the Pastoral Etchers, Neo-Romantics and environmentally engaged contemporaries. Artists represented in this exhibition include William Holman Hunt, JMW Turner, Paul Nash, John Piper, Graham Sutherland, Keith Vaughan and Christopher Le Brun.

This exhibition has been drawn from Southampton’s outstanding collection of fine art and enhanced by important loans. It encompasses paintings, prints and drawings from the late eighteenth century to the present day, that have emerged at times of anxiety and troubled world events. They all help to illustrate the defining features of Romanticism, one of the strongest and most popular strands in British art history.

Southampton City Council's Cabinet member for Communities, Culture and Leisure, Councillor Satvir Kaur said: “Following the success of our previous exhibition from the fabulous Ben Johnson, I’m thrilled to see us showcase some of the finest works from our collection, which is one of the most prestigious in the UK. This superb exploration of Romanticism will appeal to both art lovers and casual visitors alike. 2016 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for the Art Gallery, which includes jointly hosting world famous ‘British Art Show 8’ with John Hansard Gallery in October”.

The exhibition opens to the public on Friday 5 February 2016, with a private view on Thursday February 4 from 6-8pm.

Southampton City Art Gallery, based in Southampton’s Civic Centre, is free to enter and conveniently located right next to SeaCity Museum.

The gallery is open from 10-3 Monday to Friday, 10-5 on Saturdays and closed on Sundays.