Revolutionary Century: session 3

Third session of a six week course at the Bishopsgate Institute looking at the art of the 19th century, a period of great changes in art and society.

The course is led by James Heard and this session looked at Realism comparing the French and English versions of it. We started by looking at Delaroche's "Executing of Lady Jane Grey" and comparing it to Courbet's "After Diner at Ornans”. The latter being in a more rugged loose style. We talked about how revolutionary it was for audiences to see real life depicted in art and how badly they reacted to this.

On the English side we focused on the realist pictures of the Pre-Raphaelites such as Ford Maddox Brown's "Work" showing men at work building the London sewers and the other work going on around them. I must admit we did end up laughing rather at August Egg's "Past and Present" with it’s rather heavy handed symbolism.

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