The Exhibition

Artists and writers have long been preoccupied with the challenge of depicting and arousing emotion. In 2000 Bill Viola began to explore these forces in his work, drawing on the art of the past for inspiration. A departure from his room installations with large projections and sound, the works in 'The Passions' series are intimate and silent. Displayed, for the most part, on digital flat panel screens which can be hung on walls like paintings, the works use extreme slow motion to open up emotional expression and reveal, in previously unseen ways, its power and complexity.

In making the works in 'The Passions' series Viola has drawn on many strands of influence. The first room of the exhibition contained works which suggest some of his sources. Occasionally the influence has been direct, 'The Quintet of the Astonished' - the earliest work in 'The Passions' series - took as its starting point the National Gallery's painting by Bosch of 'Christ Crowned with Thorns'.