Mae gan yr Amgueddfa dri model pensaernïol o adeilad Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd.

Cafodd pedwar model eu creu, ond erbyn hyn dim ond mewn hen ffotograff lliw sepia y gellir gweld yr hynaf. Nid yw'n syndod o ystyried mai prototeip papur bregus ydoedd. Mae'r nesaf, 'y model gwreiddiol' fel y'i gelwir yn barchus, mor ddrudfawr (ac anferth) mae wedi ei ddatgymalu a'i bacio, ac yn cael ei gadw mewn storfa ddiogel. Ciwb Perspex cŵl o'r 1960au yw'r model nesaf, a chanddo blatiau chwareus y gellid eu symud sy'n cynrychioli gwahanol loriau'r amgueddfa. Mae gwaith cadwraeth yn cael ei gynnal ar y model hwn ar hyn o bryd. Cafodd y model olaf, sydd hefyd yn cynnwys ffigurau, ceir a gwyrddni bach plastig, ei greu ym 1988 i ddarlunio Estyniad Cwrt yr Amgueddfa gan Bartneriaeth Alex Gordon.

Sefydlwyd Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Cymru trwy Siarter Frenhinol ym 1907, ac wedi pennu'r lleoliad ym Mharc Cathays, Caerdydd, cafwyd cystadleuaeth agored ym 1909 i ddylunio'r adeilad. Cafodd 130 o ddyluniadau eu cyflwyno, a chwmni o benseiri o Lundain, A. Dunbar Smith & Cecil C. Brewer, ddaeth i'r brig. Nid oedd yr Amgueddfa yn bwriadu adeiladu'r cyfan ar unwaith, felly roedden nhw'n ffafrio dyluniad fyddai'n caniatáu ychwanegu darnau dros amser, yn unol â'r gyllideb oedd ar gael. Cafodd y garreg sylfaen ei gosod gan y Brenin Siôr V a'r Frenhines Mair ar 26 Mehefin 1912, ac ym 1913 dechreuwyd gwaith ar yr uwchstrwythur. Gan nad oes sôn amdano yng Nghofnodion Cyngor yr Amgueddfa, rydyn ni'n cymryd y cafodd y model papur cain hwn ei greu a'i gyflwyno at sylw'r Cyngor gan Smith & Brewer.

Mae'r cyfeiriad cyntaf at y model gwreiddiol yn ymddangos yng Nghofnodion Cyngor yr Amgueddfa, 1 Tachwedd 1910-31 Hydref 1911. Maent yn nodi y penodwyd Is-Bwyllgor yn cynnwys y Cadeirydd, Syr E. Vincent Evans, a'r cerflunydd enwog o Gymro, W. Goscombe John, i ddechrau trefnu creu model, a chanddynt yr hawl i dderbyn tendr am hyd at £200 am ei greu. Yn ddiweddarach, fe welwn y derbyniwyd dyfynbris o £165 gan Mr. J. Lambert (o Lundain). Byddai'r model yn dangos yr adeilad cyfan, byddai wedi'i greu o bren a'r raddfa fyddai chwarter modfedd i bob troedfedd. Yn nes ymlaen, sonnir fod Mr Lambert yn gweithio'n rhy araf a pennwyd dyddiad terfyn o 1 Hydref 1912!

Yn y Cofnodion ar gyfer 27 Hydref 1911 i 22 Hydref 1912, nodir y cafodd y model terfynol ei arddangos yn yr Ystafell Ddeisebu yn Neuadd San Steffan am bythefnos ym mis Mai 1912, ac ym mis Gorffennaf roedd i'w weld yn yr Amgueddfa Dros Dro, Neuadd y Ddinas, Caerdydd. Adeiladwyd yr Amgueddfa Dros Dro yn yr iard tu ôl i Neuadd y Ddinas, a bu'r Amgueddfa'n ei defnyddio ar gyfer arddangosfeydd tan fod yr adeilad terfynol wedi'i orffen ac yn barod i roi cartref i'r casgliadau. Cafodd ei anfon i'r Amgueddfa Genedlaethol hefyd, a gynhaliwyd yn Wrecsam ym 1912. Mae'r deunydd marchnata a hyrwyddo yma'n dangos ei bwysigrwydd, a phenllanw degawdau o lafur a arweiniodd at sefydlu Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Cymru. Hefyd, roedd yn paratoi trigolion y ddinas am sut y byddai'r Amgueddfa yn gweddnewid ardal Parc Cathays, gyda'r adeilad yn swatio rhwng Neuadd y Ddinas (a adeiladwyd ym 1906) ar y dde a'r Brifysgol (a adeiladwyd ym 1883) tu cefn iddi.

Cafodd un o'r ffotograffau gorau o'r model gwreiddiol ei gymryd pan gafodd ei arddangos yn y Brif Neuadd hanner can mlynedd yn ddiweddarach i ddathlu Jiwbilî'r Amgueddfa ym 1957. Mae'r ffotograff hwn yn ymddangos yn yr Adroddiad Blynyddol gyda'r capsiwn "Arddangosfa'r Jiwbilî yng nghanol y Brif Neuadd. Ar y chwith, mae model yn dangos yr Amgueddfa pan fydd wedi'i gorffen...". Ymddengys mai dyma'r tro olaf i'r model gael ei arddangos yn gyhoeddus.

Nawr, ymlaen â ni i'r Chwedegau ac at fodel – a chyfnod – hollol wahanol! Dyma flwch Perspex clir sy'n mesur tua 2 droedfedd sgwâr a thua 5 modfedd o uchder, yn dangos cynllun lloriau adeilad yr Amgueddfa. Cafodd ei gomisiynu gan Gyfeillion Amgueddfa Cymru yn rhodd i Wasanaeth Ysgolion yr Amgueddfa ym 1969 (costiodd £173) er mwyn hwyluso'u gwaith o esbonio'r adeilad i grwpiau o blant ysgol.

The staff of the Museum Schools Service often give talks to large groups of school children in which they explain the purpose and lay-out of the Museum. On these occasions it has proved difficult to give a clear idea of the location of the principal galleries to a seated audience. The new model provides an admirable aid for this purpose. It is made of clear Perspex and is constructed in such a way so that each “floor” can be re-moved separately for explanatory comments. Each Museum Department has been given a colour code to distinguish it when the model is fully assembled.

Pymthegfed Adroddiad Blynyddol Cyfeillion Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Cymru, 1969 [tudalen 9].

Y dylunydd oedd Christopher Shurrock (g. 1939), arlunydd, gwneuthurwr printiau a cherflunydd a oedd bryd hynny yn dysgu Astudiaethau Celf Sylfaenol yn Sefydliad Addysg Uwch Caerdydd. Ac yntau'n aelod cynhyrchiol o Grŵp 56 Cymru ac Academi Frenhinol Gorllewin Lloegr yn y 1960au, ei ddiddordeb pennaf oedd ymchwilio i ddirnadaeth, lliw a strwythurau wedi'u darlunio, a'u dadelfennu i'w ffurfiau mwyaf sylfaenol. Dyma Shurrock yn esbonio'r model '...gall gwedd arwynebol a mecanwaith ddrysu gyda gormod o stwff mympwyol, mae'r cynnwys mewnol yn aml yn fregus, nid yw cyd-ddigwyddiad o reidrwydd yn brawf. Y broblem fythol yw dirnad beth sydd wir angen cael ei ddangos...' .

Fel y nodwyd eisoes, cafodd y model olaf ei greu ym 1988 i ddarlunio Estyniad Cwrt yr Amgueddfa gan Bartneriaeth Alex Gordon.

Pensaer a Chymro oedd Syr Alexander John Gordon CBE (1917-1999). Fe ddyluniodd nifer o adeiladau mawr y De, gan gynnwys Theatr y Sherman yng Nghaerdydd (1973) ac estyniad y Gyfnewidfa Ffôn yn Abertawe (1971). Bu hefyd yn llywydd Sefydliad Brenhinol Penseiri Prydain rhwng 1971 a 1973. Cafodd yr estyniad yr enw 'estyniad y cwrt' am ei fod yn cynnwys llenwi'r gofod rhwng y ddwy adain a oedd, yn nyluniad gwreiddiol y penseiri, yn cynnwys gardd gwrt awyr agored. Fodd bynnag, yn ei hanfod adeiladu to dros yr ardal ganolog a wnaed, fel y gwelwch yma.

Cymharwch hwn gyda'r model papur gwreiddiol yn dangos y man canolog agored:

Mae'r modelau hyn yn agos iawn at ein calonnau. Mae'r cynharaf yn cynrychioli penllanw'r gobaith a'r freuddwyd o ddechrau creu hunaniaeth Gymreig genedlaethol, a'r modelau ers hynny yn dangos ac yn dathlu esblygiad a datblygiad y weledigaeth sydd wrth wraidd yr Amgueddfa heddiw.

Mae hefyd yn bleser gennym adrodd fod ysbryd creu modelau yr Amgueddfa yn dal yn fyw ac yn iach! Yn ystod y cyfnod clo dechreuodd y Cynorthwy-ydd Amgueddfa Jade Fox ail-greu rhai o orielau Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd. Cymerwch gip ar y ffilm fer hon ohoni'n esbonio sut y daeth y project yn fyw, pan oedd ganddi amser i'w lenwi a hen focs pizza yn sbâr...

Archwiliwch y casgliad yn Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd gyda'n tîm o wirfoddolwyr. Yn y fideo hwn, archwiliwch drilobitau gyda'n gwirfoddolwr, Macy.

Cliciwch ar 'Gosodiadau' ar gyfer is-deitlau yn Gymraeg.

A large part of our work in the Art Department at Amgueddfa Cymru is researching and working on new acquisitions for the collection. Even with the Museum closed for much of the last 18 months, activity has continued behind the scenes on developing our collections.

With the Museum reopening, we thought we would put together a small group of these new acquisitions in Gallery 11 at National Museum Cardiff that we hope you will enjoy. There is an eclectic mix of work; from Welsh artists, artists working in Wales and some leading national and international figures of modern and contemporary art.

New acquisitions

An individual acquisition can sometimes take months or even years to complete, with a great deal of work going into research and fundraising. We are incredibly grateful to artists and individuals who often donate work to us, and also to Trusts and Foundations who help us to buy pieces – and in particular the Derek Williams Trust. So, while some of the new works that are on display in have arrived at the Museum over the past few months, many have been worked on by curators for 2-3 years in some cases.

Also, what is currently on show is actually a small fraction of what has been collected over the last year or two. The development of the Art Collection has been an ongoing, century long project – one that never stops and is key to the Amgueddfa Cymru collections more generally remaining relevant and dynamic. That said, there is a great deal more to do in terms of what our collection says about Wales in the 21^st century as the National Collection of today is also an important artistic and historic resource for future generations.

Below is some information on each of the new works on display. But what better way to appreciate them than by coming to the Museum and seeing them in person!

The organic and the systemic

Magdalene Odundo’s impressive terracotta vessel Asymmetric I has a strong anthropomorphic character. It seems to allude to a pregnant female body and promise new life. Odundo draws on African traditions to emphasise the power of pots to heal.

In contrast to Odundo’s organic making style, David Saunders, in works like Black Transformation (1973-74, oil on canvas), relies on logical and mathematical processes to produce a systematic method of creating work.

 

Shaped by life experiences

A strong theme of this display is the way that artists draw on their own experiences, either their own life histories or in response to the landscapes and histories of Wales. Gareth Griffith’s Bertorelli recalls his childhood memory of a double portrait in the Bertorelli ice cream parlour in Caernarfon. He later purchased the portrait and reworked it into this piece.

 

 

Exploring the landscape

Mary Lloyd Jones
Pwerdy Ceunant (2019)

Mary Lloyd Jones’s abstract paintings explore the landscape as a place of memory, culture, and identity. Ysgwrn (2018) is named after the farm where poet Hedd Wyn (1887-1917) grew up prior to being killed in the First World War, while the place names and calligraphic signs in Pwerdy Ceunant (2019) allude to Coelbren y Beirdd, the alphabet that Iolo Morganwg invented and claimed was that of the ancient bards.

 

 

Urban and industrial Wales

Bernd and Hilla Becher’s Preparation Plants, 1966-1974 (gelatin silver prints)

Urban and industrial Wales are an equal source of artistic inspiration. In Winter Night with Angharad no.7 (2006, oil and plaster on board), Roger Cecil (born into a mining family from Abertillery) draws parallels between the landscape and the human body. Bernd and Hilla Becher’s Preparation Plants, 1966-1974 (gelatin silver prints) is one of their typologies, a grid of nine photographs of a single type of industrial structure that was once a familiar feature of the industrial ecosystem of the south Wales Valleys.

André Stitt’s Municipal Wall Relief for a Housing Complex in a Parallel Universe (2015-16; oil, acrylic and enamel on wood panels) also looks back to what now seems a bygone age, capturing the modernist optimism of post-war architecture and town-planning.

 

Plan your visit

These artworks are now on display for the first time in the art galleries in National Museum Cardiff. Access to the museum is free, but you will need to pre-book a free ticket in advance. Please see our Plan Your Visit page for more information.

 

With thanks

Amgueddfa Cymru is grateful to Mary Lloyd Jones, David Saunders, the estate of Roger Cecil, Art Fund, the Derek Williams Trust and the Henry Moore Foundation for their generosity in making these acquisitions possible.

Winter 2020. Nearly a year into the pandemic which rocked everyone's life. In the middle of a second raft of restrictions – all normal activities, group meetings, trips to see family, shopping even, put on hold for an indeterminate time – life was stagnating somewhat.

One of the many wonderful things about living in this part of Wales – as well as the space, the quiet, the beauty (with a view of the Preseli Hills), learning Welsh and interacting with the Welsh community – was the National Wool Museum, only a few miles down the road. With added leisure time now I was retired, I could indulge my obsession with all things sheep and wool-related. I became a craft volunteer at the museum, meeting with a group of spinners every week to spin, learning new things, meeting the wide range of visitors and joining in museum events. The museum and cafe staff were always friendly and welcoming, willing to indulge and encourage my attempts at Welsh. It felt like a second home. The pandemic put an end to that.

How exciting it was, then, when I saw the museum adverting for volunteers to transcribe answers to questionnaires, some filled out fifty years ago. I consider myself privileged to have been accepted to join the 'team'. Transcribing from handwritten documents – in Welsh- has been quite a challenge, but an enjoyable one. My dictionary and Google Translate have helped me check if what I am transcribing makes sense and there is a great sense of achievement when a seemingly unreadable word suddenly fits the sentence. I am learning many words that Welsh speakers may or may not know but are new to me. Do people here still know the meaning of 'sucan'? Whilst its English equivalent, given as 'gruel', conjures up the privations of poor orphans such as Oliver Twist, the Welsh sucan appears to have been somewhat of a treat at harvest time. I haven't found anyone around here yet who has heard of a room called a 'rhwmbwrdd' (is it a dining room?)

Many documents reply in a basic manner to questions about daily meals and work routines, with a noticeable lack of variation in diet (mostly 'cawl', a broth kept on the go, added to and reheated for several days' meals) and basics such as family clothing paid for by selling hand-knitted socks or eggs, but some have more detail. I am learning about which wood is most suitable for different parts of a cart (ash for the axle, oak for the wheel spokes), how neighbours helped each other with workload rather than giving presents and other customs that have died out or changed since the early 20th century. I have spoke to local people, some of whom know nothing of 'Calennig', and others who explain it as a custom for children akin to Halloween, but at the turn of the century (in the Preseli area at least) it was the old women, widowed or unmarried, who went round the village collecting small presents of money at New Year. Is there anyone now who knows that children would roam the fields in early spring trying to get a sight of the first lamb, called 'Dafad Las' (blue sheep) for which they would be rewarded with the sum of three pence? In the Welsh way, many people were referred to by their name followed by the name of their house or farm, which means it is possible to locate the properties mentioned by an internet search. It is interesting to note that several of these houses are now pictured as ruins or are listed as holiday accommodation.

It has been – it is – a lovely way to stay connected to Wales, past and present, as well as helping with my Welsh learning and giving me a chance to contribute to the work of the museum and preserve Welsh memories.