Europe of the Empires: The Arts of the Nineteenth Century

From the collapse of the ‘Ancien Regime’ and the ravages of a 25 year war, the “Long 19th Century” took us to the outbreak of a very different war in 1914, in a very different world.

This course examines the expression of change in the arts – from Goya in Spain, Blake in England and the Impressionists in France. As Empires expanded we will look at the impact of trade and new materials and of new and exotic influences on artists from Delacroix to Picasso.

History, Nationalism and the Exotic: Alternative Inspiration

Here you will see how many were enthralled by the social, technological and political changes of the age, but others were not and they looked to the unfamiliar for solace. Expanding empires in India and North Africa provided new models for building and painting, from Delacroix to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, and in the decorative arts, Napoleon’s campaigns made Egypt the most fashionable of inspirations. The past, particularly the medieval past, became another place of refuge, inspiring the great state monuments of the “Gothick” and the fantasies of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

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