Artist: Ann Arnold

Title: The Lovely Lively Air

Medium: Watercolour

Size: 16.5cm x 28.5cm

Date: 2001

Source: {B18}

Exhibited

Ruralist 2001 Exhibition
Barley Splatt, Cornwall,
29 September - 13 October 2001
Reproduced in the exhibition catalogue

Supplementary Information

"The Lovely Lively Air"

The title of Ann Arnold's painting is quoted directly from the poem Wonder by Thomas Traherne, a poet of the 17th century, whose work is much admired by the artist.

The skies in their magnificence,
The lovely lively air,
Oh, how divine, how soft, how sweet, how fair!
 The stars did entertain my sense,
And all the works of God so bright and pure,
So rich and great, did seem,
As if they ever must endure
In my esteem.

Traherne was born around 1636, educated at Oxford and died in 1674.  His works Roman Forgeries (1673) and Christian Ethicks (1675) were published during his own century, but his most respected work was lost until the manuscripts were discovered at the end of the 19th century. Traherne is regarded as one of the metaphysical poets and has had a significant influence on the poetry of the 20th century.

The full text of Wonder by Thomas Traherne

How like an angel came I down!
How bright are all things here!
When first among his works I did appear,
Oh, how their glory did me crown!
The world resembled his eternity,
In which my sould did walk;
And ev'rything that I did see
Did with me talk.

The skies in their magnificence,
The lovely lively air,
Oh, how divine, how soft, how sweet, how fair!
The stars did entertain my sense,
And all the works of God so bright and pure,
So rich and great, did seem,
As if they ever must endure
In my esteem.

A native health and innocence
Within my bones did grow,
And while my God did all his glories show,
I felt a vigor in my sense
That was all spirit; I within did flow
With seas of life like wine;
I nothing in the world did know,
But 'twas divine.

Harsh rugged objects were concealed;
Oppressions, tears, and cries,
Sins, griefs, complaints, dissensions, weeping eyes,
Were hid, and only things revealed
Which heavenly spirits and the angels prize:
The state of innocence
And bliss, not trades and poverties,
Did fill my sense.

The streets seemed paved with golden stones,
The boys and girls all mine --
To me how did their lovely faces shine!
The sons of men all holy ones,
In joy and beauty then appeared to me;
And ev'rything I found,
While like an angel I did see,
Adorned the ground.

Rich diamonds, and pearl, and gold
Might ev'rywhere be seen;
Rare colors, yellow, blue, red, white, and green,
Mine eyes on ev'ry side behold;
All that I saw a wonder did appear,
Amazement was my bliss,
That and my wealth met ev'rywhere;
No joy to this!

Cursed, ill-devised proprieties,
With envy, avarice,
And fraud, those fiends that spoil ev'n paradise,
Were not the object of mine eyes;
Nor hedges, ditches, limits, narrow bounds,
I dreamt not aught of those,
But in surveying all men's grounds
I found repose.

For property itself was mine,
And hedges, ornaments,
Walls, houses, coffers, and their rich contents,
To make me rich combine.
Clothes, costly jewels, laces, I esteemed
My wealth, by others worn,
For me they all to wear them seemed,
When I was born.

Artist: Ann Arnold

Title: The Lovely Lively Air

Medium: Watercolour

Size: 17cm x 19cm

Date: 2001

Exhibited

Silk Top Hat Gallery
Quality Square, Ludlow
2 June - 7 July 2001

The exhibition card reproduces a painting with this title. It is clearly a different painting from the one above but has a similar theme and is of the same location. There could be two paintings with the same name or either could have been wrongly identified during the hanging of the exhibitions.