Surf hundreds of historic Swansea oil paintings

Dec. 14, 2012 - PRLog -- Works by the likes of Monet, Pissarro and Evan Walters are among those included on a BBC website devoted to the arts.

All oil paintings on display and in storage at both the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery and Swansea Museum have been photographed and catalogued. The famous Brangwyn Hall panels have also been photographed to form part of the online collection.

Swansea Council has worked closely alongside the Public Catalogue Foundation and the BBC on the city’s contribution to the website. The aim of the Public Catalogue Foundation, a registered charity set up in 2003, is to make all oil paintings held in public collection across the UK accessible.

Some of the Swansea-based works included date back to the 18th Century.

Cllr Nick Bradley, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “We’ve got some fantastic oil paintings both on display and in collections across Swansea. This website will offer art lovers the chance to peruse works by some of the most famous artists in history and it’s testament to the hard work of our staff that images of over 700 oil paintings based in Swansea have now been added to this impressive online collection.

“It’s artworks of this nature that combine with factors like Dylan Thomas’ legacy to help strengthen Swansea’s reputation as a top city of culture. The availability of the website also means there’s another way for people to browse the Glynn Vivian’s oil paintings while the attraction is temporarily closed for a multi-million refurbishment that will, once complete, greatly enhance the visitor experience there.”

More than 210,000 paintings from over 2,800 collections have now been added to the www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings website. The website was first launched in the summer of 2011 but images and details of oil paintings on display or in storage across Wales have been added this week.

Among Swansea Museum’s collection to have been added is an oil painting of famous Polar explorer Edgar Evans, painted in 1940, and a painting from 1941 of the devastation caused by the three-night blitz.

Have a look at www.discoveringswansea.com for more information about Glynn Vivian Art Galley and Swansea Museum.