Synopses & Reviews
This original book explores the radical transformation of the heroic male body in late eighteenth-century British art. It ranges across a period in which a modern art world was established, takingand#160; into account the lives and careers of a succession of major figuresand#151;from Benjamin West and Gavin Hamilton to Henry Fuseli, John Flaxman and William Blakeand#151;and influential institutions, from the Royal Academy to the commercial galleries of the 1790s.Organized around the historical traumas of the Seven Yearsand#8217; War (1756and#150;63), the War of American Independence (1775and#150;83) and the French Revolution and Revolutionary Wars (1789and#150;1815), Bodybuilding places the visual representation of the hero at the heart of a series of narratives about social and economic change, gender identity, and the transformation of cultural value on the eve of modernity. The book offers a vivid image of a critical period in Britainand#8217;s cultural history and establishes a new framework for the study of late-eighteenth-century art and gender.
Synopsis
This volume investigates court, country, and city settings as spaces of artistic production and reception in Britain during the political and economic transformations of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.and#160;
Synopsis
The late 17th and early 18th centuries saw profound changes in Britain and in its visual arts. This volume provides fresh perspectives on the art of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods, focusing on the concepts, spaces, and audiences of court, country, and city as reflected in an array of objects, materials, and places. The essays discuss the revolutionary political and economic circumstances of the period, which not only forged a new nation-state but also provided a structural setting for artistic production and reception. Essays cover such diverse topics as tapestry in the age of Charles II and painting in the court of Queen Anne; male friendship portraits; mezzotint and the exchange between painting and print; the interpretation of genres such as still life and marine painting; the concept of remembered places; courtly fashion and furnishing; the codification of rules for painting; and the development of aesthetic theory.
About the Author
Mark Hallett is director of studies at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.
Nigel Llewellyn is head of research and
Martin Myrone is lead curator of British art to 1800, at Tate Britain.