Hylas and the Nymphs.
On 26 January 2018, a group of performance artists at the Manchester Art Gallery took down one of its most famous pictures, JW Waterhouse’s Hylas and the Nymphs. On 3 February, they put it back up. Your first task is to explore why this was done and how press commentators and others responded. You should summarize the results of your research in a paragraph or two. Your second task is analyse and evaluate a commentary by Jonathan Jones: what is his thesis? What arguments does he use to persuade us that he is right? How persuasive are these arguments? Why do you find them persuasive or unpersuasive? This should take two or three paragraphs. Your third task is give your own opinion about the episode. Did the Gallery behave properly or improperly? Why do you think so? This should take two or three paragraphs. Here are some sources: News report: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jan/31/manchester-art-gallery-removes-waterhouse-naked-nymphs-painting-prompt-conversation Manchester Art Gallery website account: http://manchesterartgallery.org/blog/presenting-the-female-body-challenging-a-victorian-fantasy/ Jonathan Jones’s commentary: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jan/31/hylas-and-the-nymphs-jw–waterhouse-why-have-mildly-erotic-nymphs-been-removed-from-a-manchester-gallery-is-picasso-next Sonia Boyce explains why the picture was taken down: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/06/takedown-waterhouse-naked-nymphs-art-action-manchester-art-gallery-sonia-boyce