As February is the month of Valentine’s, I took the liberty of going on a hunt to find the most romantic pieces of art in Manchester. This took me through eight different galleries, ranging from the centre of town, to the University of Salford, to smaller galleries that sell their collections. I have compiled the few pieces that moved me most romantically.
Manchester Art Gallery
Sappho, by Auguste Charles Mengin (1877)
To those with an interest in Greek history, or literature in general, the name Sappho will ring a bell. To start off this list, it is not a painting that shows romantic affection – but this perception alone would not do justice to the character of the person being portrayed. Sappho is etched in the history of romantic literature, and her work is so influential to the modern concept of love that she has become a term within it. Even today, the word “Sapphic” is used to represent love between women. The painting is dark and grey, with a heavy sense of loss. It does not even portray a happy ending, as it depicts the story wherein Sappho throws herself into the sea over unrequited love. However, I see Sappho standing resolute. The character of legend alters the art, and Sappho in the dark shades becomes beautiful. She is a symbol of love, and when fully taken in, this might be my favourite painting in all of Manchester. It is also worth noting that the statue of Atalanta (Francis Derwent Wood, 1907) stands right next to the painting and is equally beautiful.
The Last Watch of Hero, The Death of Leander, by Lord Frederic Leighton (1877)
Romantic tragedy is a common trope when it comes to the portrayal of romance in history, and this is an example where it is shown in a heart-wrenchingly beautiful way. With the many iterations on the concept of enemies to lovers in fiction and art today, it is fascinating to see it echo over the centuries of time. Hero and Leander lived in rival cities, separated by sea. Star-crossed as they were, they sought each other out anyhow, even in vain. Every night, Leander would swim across the water, guided only by the lamp his lover lit for him. Doomed love is doomed by its context, and the cold harsh winds blew out the lamp. Leander could not find his way and drowned. Hero would mourn and yearn until she joined her lover on the same rocks that his body rested on. This was agonising, as the best of art can be, but raw. The two characters suffer for their love, and their suffering is clear by Leander’s death and the mourning of Hero. Doomed at every turn, but love is found even in their death.
Astarte Syriaca, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1877)
Very often, romanticized portrayals of women have become famous works of art. This was the kind of painting you notice when you first walk into the room, and cannot look away from. The canvas is crammed, and Rosetti hopes to bring the character as close to the viewer as possible. The character shown in the painting is a Classical goddess of love, an ancient Middle Eastern Goddess called Astarte. She is painted in an idolised manner, and it is alluring to see an ancestor of the concept of Venus showcased so fully.
Claude Duval, by William Powell Frith (1860)
This is a painting that dances from one side of the line to the other, from depressing mockery to romantic over-the-top chivalry. It portrays Claude Duval, a famous highwayman in the 17th century, holding up a coach. He offers to give up the loot, only if the beautiful woman in the coach would dance with him. The lady looks beautiful, but this is not simply a painting of romance. There is a balance between her beauty and the terror of the situation. Regardless of the darkness of the entire painting, from the foreshadowing of his death in the gallows in the distance to the holding up of the coach, there is still drama and chivalry in the beautiful scene painted.
Salford Art Gallery
Still Life with Flowers, by Unknown Artist
While walking the beautiful halls in the Salford Art Gallery, this small painting stood out to me in its simplicity. The shade of red is passionate and always associated with love. I could not help but gaze at the pretty flowers, wondering at their flailing.
A Bride, by Reuben Thomas William Sayer (1855)
This painting has always struck me as something out of a Jane Austen novel; it has stuck with me. I have near a dozen different pictures of it, and I take one every time I walk past it. The woman painted in it looks beautiful, but not oversexualized or over-romanticized as with many other paintings.
Whitworth Art Gallery
There’s no Place, by Jakkai Siributr (2024-25)
To move away from paintings, the Whitworth Art Gallery has a display where beautiful textiles and embroidery float at the top of the room. It made me want to lay down and stare up at them. This is a piece of art about home and belonging, and while it is not about romance, you cannot deny that romance is a part of it. In the small floating pieces of art, I eyed flowers and hearts. If nothing else, this display makes the Whitworth Art Gallery worth a visit (before it is removed on the 16th of March).
Contemporary Six
Couple during Labour, by Ghislaine Howard
This is a representation of love that endures together; supportive love that suffers together. There is so much emotion and need in the hug.
Saul Hay Gallery
Kindred Spirits, by Neil Wood
Saul Hay Gallery sat nicely on the river, and this little discovery would prove to be my favourite of the lot. Kindred Spirits would be my favourite, as it portrayed two vaguely human-shaped pieces of bronze in contact with each other. Judging by the title and the placement of their hands, it looks like a dance to me. That is a thing worth seeing during Valentine’s month – two rocks attuned to each other, overlooking the river. Despite the lack of direct portrayal of humans, there is humanness and love in it.
It is also worth saying that both ESEA contemporary and Smolensky Gallery are worth a visit. Art galleries are a place to walk in silence together or alone, seldom feeling lonely. They are some of the most romantic spaces I have been to.
