New Southampton art exhibition by students set to portray power

Opening on January 22, Royals to Ratcatchers: 200 Years of Power in British Portraiture has been put together by undergraduate history students from the University of Southampton.

The exhibition looks at power dynamics between those on both sides of the canvas and features work by some of the country’s most important artists including Joshua Reynolds, William Holman Hunt and Stanley Spencer.

Depictions of a range of sitters are represented, spanning monarchs, mayors and muses with every portrait said to tell a "story of power".

Anthony Green, The Dinner Party, 1966, oil on canvas. From: The artist, courtesy Chris Beetles Gallery.

Exploring how members of different strata of society have been portrayed and how such portrayals have been influenced by the artist’s own position, the exhibition compares traditional portraits celebrating civic, military or social rank to portraits of the working class.

Dr Jonathan Conlin, module convenor and Senior Lecturer in Modern History, University of Southampton said "Royals to Ratcatchers represents a pioneering collaboration between the city and the University of Southampton: it is unheard of for undergraduates to be given such an opportunity to curate their own show in a public gallery of this calibre.

"The students and I are grateful to Southampton City Art Gallery for making this adventure possible."

Royals to Ratcatchers is the culmination of the students’ work on the module British Portraiture 1650-present: Curating the Self.

Thomas Cantrell Dugdale Sir Sidney Kimber. From: Southampton City Art Gallery

Councillor Spiros Vassiliou, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Heritage said: "We’re delighted to be able to present this brilliant new exhibition, working closely with the University of Southampton and the next generation of the city’s cultural talent, drawing on Southampton’s incredible fine art collection."

The exhibition is open until May 28 and is free to enter.