Activities |Dear John
DEAR JOHN…
Thursday 10 June • 1.30 pm
Exhibition Gallery
Photography: Pete Marshall
John Brett’s enigmatic, yet unfinished, portrait of Christina Rossetti provides inspiration for a dramatic intervention exploring the relationship between the artist and his muse.
Brett and Rossetti met when the former was a student in London, and by 1857 they were romantically involved. Some experts believe that the two came close to an engagement in that year - either he proposed and she turned him down, or he never proposed and she was left feeling hurt. Brett’s diaries reveal that the artist had a habit of falling in love - combined with a desire to avoid commitment, so either scenario is possible. Whatever happened, the portrait remained unfinished and the mystery remains.
Dear John… is performed by students Rebecca Rothon and Charlotte Walker from the University of Birmingham’s Drama department and directed by Olga Kekis.
FREE