Portraiture was the most persistently popular genre of art in eighteenth-century Britain. But what forms did it take? Why did it flourish? And what business strategies did portrait painters adopt? We will explore how the genre evolved through the work of figures such as Godfrey Kneller, William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, and Thomas Lawrence. This course will follow a broadly thematic approach, covering topics such as the conversation piece, celebrity, and family portraiture.
Course aim
To enable students to explore a range of eighteenth-century portraits, by artists such as Kneller, Hogarth, Zoffany, Reynolds and Gainsborough, within their social, historical, economic and artistic contexts.
Do I need any particular skills or experience?
- This course is for beginners and improvers
By the end of the course I should be able to:
- demonstrate a broad knowledge of eighteenth-century British portraiture and its relationship to debates in contemporary society
- recognise and analyse the major stylistic and artistic developments in British portraiture in the period
- identify key features of the work of three leading portrait painters from the period
- look at examples of portraiture from this period and comment on them
What else do I need to know?
Apart from a personal email address and internet connection to access the online classes, nothing else is required. Suggestions for further reading will be given at the start of the course.
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