Visual arts Many works of
Celtic art have been found in Wales. In the
Early Medieval period, the
Celtic Christianity of Wales participated in the
Insular art of the British Isles and a number of
illuminated manuscripts
possibly of Welsh origin survive, of which the 8th century
Hereford Gospels and
Lichfield Gospels are the most notable. The 11th century
Ricemarch Psalter (now in
Dublin) is certainly Welsh, made in
St David's, and shows a late Insular style with unusual Viking influence. The best of the few Welsh artists of the 16th–18th centuries tended to move elsewhere to work, but in the 18th century the dominance of
landscape art in
English art motivated them to stay at home, and brought an influx of artists from outside to paint Welsh scenery. The Welsh painter
Richard Wilson (1714–1782) is arguably the first major British landscapist, but rather more notable for Italian scenes than Welsh ones, although he did paint several on visits from London. '', 1774, by
Thomas Jones (1742–1803) It remained difficult for artists relying on the Welsh market to support themselves until well into the 20th century. An
Act of Parliament in 1854 provided for the establishment of a number of art schools throughout the United Kingdom, and the
Cardiff School of Art opened in 1865. Graduates still very often had to leave Wales to work, but
Betws-y-Coed became a popular centre for artists, and its artists' colony helped form the
Royal Cambrian Academy of Art in 1881. The sculptor Sir William
Goscombe John made many works for Welsh commissions, although he had settled in London.
Christopher Williams, whose subjects were mostly resolutely Welsh, was also based in London.
Thomas E. Stephens and
Andrew Vicari had very successful careers as portraitists, based respectively in the United States and France. Sir
Frank Brangwyn was Welsh by origin, but spent little time in Wales. Perhaps the most famous Welsh painters,
Augustus John and his sister
Gwen John, mostly lived in London and Paris; however the landscapists Sir
Kyffin Williams and
Peter Prendergast remained living in Wales for most of their lives, though well in touch with the wider art world.
Ceri Richards was very engaged in the Welsh art scene as a teacher in Cardiff, and even after moving to London; he was a figurative painter in international styles including
Surrealism. Various artists have moved to Wales, including
Eric Gill, the London-born Welshman
David Jones, and the sculptor
Jonah Jones.
The Kardomah Gang was an intellectual circle centred on the poet
Dylan Thomas and poet and artist
Vernon Watkins in Swansea, which also included the painter
Alfred Janes.
Ceramics Amgueddfa Cymru houses Welsh pottery made in Swansea and Llanelli between 1764 and 1922, in addition to porcelain made at Swansea and Nantgarw between 1813 and 1826. Several further sites can be identified through their place names, for example Pwllcrochan (a hamlet near Milford Haven estuary in
Pembrokeshire), which translates to Crock Pool, and archaeology has also revealed former
kiln sites across the country. These were often located near
clay beds, for ease of resource gathering.
Buckley and
Ewenny became leading areas of pottery production in Wales during the 17th and 18th centuries; these are applied as generic terms to different potters within those areas during this period. South Wales had several notable
potteries during that same period, an early exponent being the
Cambrian Pottery (1764–1870, also known as "
Swansea pottery"). The works from Cambrian attempted to imitate those of
Wedgwood.
Nantgarw Pottery, near Cardiff, was in operation from 1813 to 1823 making fine
porcelain.
Llanelly Pottery was the last surviving major pottery works in South Wales when it closed in 1922.
Literature Theatre Theatrical performances are thought to have begun after the Roman invasion of Britain. There are remains of a
Roman amphitheatre at
Caerleon, which would have served the nearby fortress of
Isca Augusta. Between Roman and modern times, theatre in Wales was limited to performances of travelling players, sometimes in temporary structures. Welsh theatrical groups also performed in England, as did English groups in Wales. The rise of the
Puritans in the 17th century and then Methodism during the 18th century caused declines in Welsh theatre as performances were seen as immoral. was built during the 19th century and originally operated as the Assembly Rooms. Other theatres opened over the following decades, with Cardiff's Theatre Royal opening in 1827. After a fire, a replacement
Theatre Royal opened in 1878. Competition for theatres led to further buildings being constructed, such as the
New Theatre, Cardiff, which opened on 10 December 1906.
Television Television in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, but did not arrive in Wales until the opening of the
Wenvoe transmitter in August 1952. Initially all programmes were in the English language, although under the leadership of Welsh director and controller
Alun Oldfield-Davies, occasional Welsh language programmes were broadcast during closed periods, replacing the
test card. In 1958, responsibility for programming in Wales fell to
Television Wales and the West, although Welsh language broadcasting was mainly served by the Manchester-based
Granada company, producing about an hour a week. On 1 November 1982,
S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru) was launched bringing together the
BBC,
HTV and other independent producers to provide an initial service of 22 hours of Welsh-language television. The digital switchover in Wales of 2009-2010 meant that the previously bilingual Channel 4 split into S4C, broadcasting exclusively in Welsh and Channel 4 broadcasting exclusively in English. The decision by
Julie Gardner, Head of Drama for BBC Wales, to film and produce the 2005 revived version of
Doctor Who in Wales is widely seen as a bellwether moment for the industry for the nation. This in turn was followed by the opening of the
Roath Lock production studios in
Cardiff. Recent English language programmes that have been filmed in Wales include
Sherlock and
His Dark Materials, while other popular series, such as
Hinterland (
Y Gwyll) and
Keeping Faith (
Un Bore Mercher) have been filmed in both Welsh and English. and is notable for its harpists, male choirs, and solo artists. The principal Welsh festival of music and poetry is the annual
National Eisteddfod. The
Llangollen International Eisteddfod echoes the National Eisteddfod but provides an opportunity for the singers and musicians of the world to perform. Traditional music and dance in Wales is supported by many societies. The Welsh Folk Song Society has published a number of collections of songs and tunes. Male choirs (sometimes called male voice choirs), which emerged in the 19th century, have remained a lasting tradition in Wales. Originally these choirs were formed as the tenor and bass sections of chapel choirs, and embraced the popular
secular hymns of the day. Many of the historic Welsh choirs survive, singing a mixture of traditional and popular songs. Traditional instruments of Wales include
telyn deires (
triple harp),
fiddle,
crwth,
pibgorn (hornpipe) and other instruments. The
Cerdd Dant Society promotes its specific singing art primarily through an annual one-day festival. The
BBC National Orchestra of Wales performs in Wales and internationally. The
Welsh National Opera is based at the
Wales Millennium Centre in
Cardiff Bay, while the
National Youth Orchestra of Wales was the first of its type in the world. in 1969 Wales has had a number of successful singers. In the 1960s, these included bands such as
Amen Corner and The Iveys/
Badfinger and singers including
Sir Tom Jones,
Dame Shirley Bassey and
Mary Hopkin. By the 1980s,
indie pop and
alternative rock bands such as
The Alarm,
The Pooh Sticks and
The Darling Buds were popular in their genres. But the wider view at the time was that the wider Welsh music scene was stagnant, as the more popular musicians from Wales were from earlier eras. In the 1990s, in England, the
Britpop scene was emerging, while in Wales, bands such as
Y Cyrff and
Ffa Coffi Pawb began to sing in English, starting a culture that would lead to the creation of
Catatonia and the
Super Furry Animals. The influence of the 80s bands and the emergence of a Welsh language and dual language music scene locally in Wales led to a dramatic shift in opinion across the United Kingdom as the "
Cool Cymru" bands of the period emerged. The leading Welsh band during this period was the
Manic Street Preachers, whose 1996 album
Everything Must Go has been listed among the greatest albums of all time. Some of those bands have had ongoing success, while the general popularity of Welsh music during this period led to a resurgence of singers such as Tom Jones with his album
Reload. It was his first non-compilation number one album since 1968's
Delilah. Meanwhile, Shirley Bassey reached the top 20 once more in the UK Charts with her collaboration with the
Propellerheads on the single "
History Repeating". They also introduced new acts, such as Catatonia's
Owen Powell working with
Duffy during her early period. Other successful bands from this period include
Funeral For A Friend, and
Lostprophets. ==Media==