Thomas Hardy's poetry and prose is the inspiration for a new exhibition at the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum.

As evening shaped I found me on a moor
Which sight could scarce sustain:
The black lean land, of featureless contour,
Was like a tract in pain.

Extract from 'A Meeting With Despair' by Thomas Hardy.

Moon-Gaze and Round Barrows is a distinctive collection of dark, brooding and evocative landscapes by artist and scholar Rob Pountney.

'Froom-hill Barrow'

Poutney is fascinated with Thomas Hardy's use of language and his knowledge of Dorset geology and archaeology.

The result is a collection of strikingly atmospheric charcoals which explore and echo the literary landscapes in Hardy's poetry and prose.

"Many of my drawings in this exhibition focus on landscape sites where spectacular downland scenery throws ancient hill forts and barrows in stark outline against the sky,

"That Hardy was aware of the dramatic potential of such visual effects is apparent in his care for the attention to lighting and angle of viewpoint in his representation of these sites in his prose and poetry."

'Froom-hill Barrow'

Running from October 4 to January 10 2004 the exhibition compliments the collection of award-winning displays housed at the museum.

A collection which tracks the history of Salisbury from the earliest archaeological finds at Stonehenge and Old Sarum to latter day costumes, watercolors and ceramics.

Moon-Gaze and Round Barrows by Dr Rob Pountney runs from 4 October 2003 to 10 January 2004. Monday to Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm.

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