Take a look inside the Laing Art Gallery's newest exhibition Romance to Realities as it opens to the public this weekend

The site’s Romance to Realities: The Northern Landscape and Shifting Identities will be open from Saturday, October 5 2024 and will run until the final weekend of April 25.

Romance to Realities takes a look at how the sweeping landscapes of northern England as the art world took a turn from the traditional style of work into the modern age.

The exhibition explores the displacement of communities, the migration to urban centres, and the enduring connection between people and their surroundings and the identity humans have with the land they inhabit.

With the earliest work dating back centurues, the exhibition charts thematic changes in landscape painting before working its way through the late 20th century when photography becomes implemented into the display.

This exhibition is organised in collaboration with The Fleming Collection and will bring together works from what is considered the finest collection of Scottish art outside public institutions with paintings from the Laing's outstanding permanent collection.

“It was a real pleasure to help select [pieces] from the collections, but trying to narrow it down was the trickiest bit” explained Esme Whittaker, Keeper of Art at the gallery.

Discussing the importance of keeping local art in the region, Whittaker added: “It’s definitely an emphasis of our collections and how we continue to acquire.

“That’s something that we continue to do, and also the importance of Newcastle and the North East on these artists throughout time. That’s something we’re always keen to do.

“We really wanted to get a sense of place in this exhibition and a sense that these are works which have shaped how we look at landscape.

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“I think sometimes when we look at landscape we’re looking through the eyes of the artists and we expect landscapes to look like that, but also to really unpick the idea that these landscapes have been shaped by human intervention as well and to emphasise the culture, industry and urban expansion [of the region].

She adds: “One of the things we’re really proud of is that we’ve represented women artists throughout the period. The exhibition covers over 200 years of landscape art and we’re really keen to emphasise the role of women from the early 19th century through to the present day and make sure they are represented within the works too, which is always slightly trickier in the early periods.”

The full exhibition is available to view from Saturday, October 5 at the Laing Art Gallery on New Bridge Street West.