The Uncanny Scenery Of A Dream
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The Uncanny Scenery Of A Dream

Stanley Donwood

Jealous East

27 May 2021 — 20 Jun 2021

JEALOUS ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE OPENING OF ‘THE UNCANNY SCENERY OF A DREAM’, A SOLO EXHIBITION BY AWARD-WINNING ARTIST AND AUTHOR STANLEY DONWOOD, DISPLAYING LIMITED EDITION PRINTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS FIRST CREATED FOR THOMAS HARDY’S SELECTED POEMS, INTRODUCED AND CHOSEN BY COLLABORATOR ROBERT MACFARLANE AND PUBLISHED BY THE FOLIO SOCIETY.

Taking motivation from the spectacular scenery and countryside landscapes described in Hardy’s work, Donwood travelled to the areas in Dorset that inspired the author’s poetry, creating a series of sketches on scraps of paper, old envelopes, maps and torn pages from yellowing books. In appreciation of the strong abiding affection Hardy felt to the lands of Dorset, Donwood immersed himself in the romantic landscape and rendered atmospheric layered drawings, providing a new way of visualising Hardy’s Wessex.
The Uncanny Scenery Of A Dream at Jealous East
In his illustrations Donwood explains he has “tried to encapsulate the vague air of solitary melancholy” he interprets from Hardy’s work. In many drawings the use of a lone figure in isolated environments with boundless sky above and flock of birds transcending the page and earthly plane.
Stanley Donwood
The Uncanny Scenery Of A Dream - Stanley Donwood. Archival Inkjet with Varnish Overlay on Somerset Satin Enhanced 330gsm Paper. £150

THE NEW FOLIO SOCIETY COLLECTION INCLUDES A FOREWORD BY ROBERT MACFARLENE. DONWOOD AND MACFARLANE HAVE COLLABORATED OVER THE YEARS ON VARIOUS LITERARY PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE BOOK ‘NESS’ RELEASED IN 2019 A BOOK OF 'MODERN POETIC MYTHOLOGY'. CLICK BELOW TO WATCH AN INTERVIEW WHERE BOTH DISCUSS THEIR WORK ON THE BOOK ‘NESS’