Edward Lear (1812-1888) at Sestri Levante: topographical art as a source for landscape history with Professor Ross Balzaretti
Wednesday 25th October
2:30-3:30 pm
Humanities, Beeston Lane, University Park Campus West
This illustrated talk will examine the historical significance of Edward Lear's drawings in and around the small town of Sestri Levante, on the Italian Riviera. Lear’s trip in this region came at a significant point in his life in May 1860, as he had just left Rome for the final time, having fallen out of love with the city. Although he considered publishing a journal as he had done for his trips to Albania and Calabria, this Ligurian trip has barely been mentioned by his numerous biographers.
The drawings he made show this part of the Italian Riviera before it was changed by the railway, and later motorways. They provide a coherent record of this part of the coast, seen by one man between 14 and 23 May 1860. Lear’s work can be compared with earlier and later artistic representations.
Ross Balzaretti is a Professor of Italian History at the University of Nottingham.
This event is part of the public programme of Nottingham History Festival 2023.
Image: Edward Lear, Porto Venere, 1860 © Tate Britain Photo © Tate CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Unported) https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lear-porto-venere-n02798
(History Festival 2023 has been supported by the Institute of Policy and Engagement, the Department of History and the School of Humanities)