Five Tips - To Woo Your Sweetheart
From picnicking and promenading to penning a love letter, we present you with timeless romantic arts tips to woo your sweetheart - on Valentine's day and beyond.
1) Pen a love letter
New-fangled technology is all good and well, but no email, sms or tweet can ever come close to putting pen to paper for the one you love. Need inspiration? The Art Gallery of Ballarat's collection is full of love-filled gems, including E. Phillips Fox's A Love Story and Frederick McCubbin's The Letter depicting an elegantly gowned woman holding a love letter whilst strolling along a river bank.
Or take a visit to the majestic State Library of Victoria, a repository of hundreds of years of penned love and passion such as the 19th century manuscript, 'Maria: a book of love' and John and Sunday Reed's letters to one another.
The Library will keep the love flowing from March until July with Love and Devotion, an exhibition celebrating the beauty of Persian manuscripts and their stories of human and divine love.
2) The art of the picnic
What could be more romantic than the combination of two of life's greatest pleasures - art and food?
Every weekend until April, the National Gallery of Victoria is offering picnics in Melbourne's own secret garden, the Grollo Equiset Gardens at the NGV International. Pre-order a picnic basket or order on the day and kick back and enjoy the art. Picnic blankets provided.
If you're looking to head out of the city, take a visit to Heide Museum of Modern Art and enjoy a lunch box from Shannon Bennett's Cafe Vue amidst the sixteen acres of sculpture garden or keep driving to the Yarra Valley and splash out on lunch at the TarraWarra Museum of Art restaurant.
3) Music of love
When Alfredo sings Un di, felice, eterea to his true love Violetta in La Traviata, the hearts of opera-lovers everywhere swell. There is something wildly romantic about opera, and this season Opera Australia presents many of the finest operas (and love stories) including Madama Butterfly and the Magic Flute.
For a romantic opera experience on a budget, Cinema Nova brings you the world famous Metropolitan Opera captured live and screening concurrently with the New York season. This year's offerings include Handel's Rodelinda, Verdi's Ernani and, just to make your heart swell that little bit more, La Traviata.
4) Lovers' promenade
In the wise words of the Seekers, "Walk with me, and my world is fill'd with light"
The17km Coastal Art Trail takes you from Brighton to Mentone and offers light, artistic inspiration and a sea breeze. Take a leisurely stroll along the coastline that inspired notable Australia artists, including Clarice Beckett, Charles Conder, Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts.
If long walks on the beach aren't your style, delve back in time and transform a walk though suburban Box Hill into a romantic art-filled promenade. Follow the City of Whitehorse Artists' Trail and celebrate the area's artistic heritage and the artists who painted at the Box Hill artists' camp in the 1880s.
Or amble through the Yarra River Precinct Arts Walk (PDF 550KB) and encounter a wealth of public art, including sculptures, installations, murals and more - from giant bees to bells that will make your heart ring.
5) Hit the dancefloor
Get your groove on and the love will flow, but before you hit the dancefloor you might want to brush up on your moves.
Dancehouse has a huge range of classes for all levels, covering everything from Congolese Rumba and Afro-Latin to Hoop Dance. Impress your beloved with your new moves or take a class together for a whole lot of fun.
If that all sounds too energetic, sit back and let the professionals do the work for you. The Australian Ballet celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a range of performances from the romantic classic Swan Lake to new works by the powerhouses of Australian dance - Graeme Murphy, Stephen Page and Gideon Obarzanek.