In the past, the distinctions between art and science weren't as clear-cut as they are today, and philosophers, researchers, and artists often shared insights and ideas. It was in that heady atmosphere that Sir Joshua Reynolds first rose to prominence, initially through his "Grand Style" paintings, but later for his work as a promoter of scientific research and the president and co-founder of the famed Royal Society. This text outlines some of Reynolds' most groundbreaking ideas about art, scholarship, and the intersection between the two.
A novel investigation into art pedagogy and constructions of national identities in Britain and Ireland, this collection explores the student-master relationship in case studies ranging chronologically from 1770 to 2013, and geographically over the national art schools of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Essays explore the manner in which the Old Masters were deployed in education; fuelled the individual creativity of art teachers and students; were used as a rhetorical tool for promoting cultural projects in the core and periphery of the British Isles; and united as well as divided opinions in response to changing expectations in discourse on art and education. Case studies examined in this book include the sophisticated tradition of 'academic' inquiry of establishment figures, like Joshua Reynolds and Frederic Leighton, as well as examples of radical reform undertaken by key individuals in the history of art education, such as Edward Poynter and William Coldstream. The role of 'Modern Masters' (like William Orpen, Augustus John, Gwen John and Jeff Wall) is also discussed along with the need for students and teachers to master the realm of art theory in their studio-based learning environments, and the ultimate pedagogical repercussions of postmodern assaults on the academic bastions of the Old Masters.
A fascinating record of the early years of Thomas Lawrence: the story of an exceptional young portraitist and future president of the Royal Academy. Like his Renaissance predecessors Raphael, Michelangelo and Dürer, the young Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) was considered to be a boy genius. This survey of Lawrence's first twenty-five years tells the story of an exceptional artist growing up at the end of the century when Britain created its own unique artistic voice. It accompanies a major exhibition at the Holburne Museum in Bath and includes previously unpublished works as well as some of Lawrence's most brilliant masterpieces. Lawrence first came to public attention when he was cited in a scientific paper on 'early genius in children'; shortly afterwards his family moved to Bath where the eleven-year-old was kept busy making likenesses of the spa town's fashionable visitors. By 1790, his spectacular portraits were the most applauded works in the Royal Academy's annual exhibition, which opened days before his twenty-first birthday. This book considers the young artist's self-image as a prodigy, the impact of Bath's rich cultural life on his formation, the rapid development of his painting technique following his move to London, and his use of celebrity, print media and the Royal Academy to grow his reputation. Particular attention is given to Lawrence's perceptive depictions of old age and bold celebrations of youthful energy. His portraits from this time present a fascinating glimpse of British high society at the turn of a memorable century: they include celebrities such as the Duchess of Devonshire, Emma Hamilton and actresses Sarah Siddons and Elizabeth Farren, as well as political leaders, members of the Bluestocking circle and the Royal Family.
