Acknowledgements This unit was written by Dr Linda Walsh
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5.9 A reaction to the bourgeois establishment Delacroix made many satirical drawings that expressed his criticism of the monarchy (even its more liberal incarnation in the form of Louis XVIII), aristocracy and clergy, and that made clear his sympathies with Bonapartist Liberalism. For example, the Goya-esque Plate 27 (probably inspired by the anti-clerical satire in Los Caprichos) and Plate 28. Also look a Plate 38, Acrobats’ Riding Class (1822). The latter depicts incompetent Ultra riders wearing ancient armour, clerical
5.5 The Gothic, the grotesque and artistic expression The Gothic and the grotesque replaced classical reason, order and regularity with the irrational, the irregular and the deformed. Delacroix was drawn to them as a means of breathing new life into artistic expression. He was attracted to English and German literature, particularly Shakespeare and Goethe – because, to the unified, clearly defined aesthetic categories of the classical, they opposed the fractured and hybrid genres less susceptible to categorisation of any kind. Shakespeare mixe
5.2 Sardanapalus – passion and futility For many of Delacroix’s Romantic contemporaries, versed in Byronic despondency and melancholic ruminations on the futility and transitory nature of worldly pleasure, Sardanapalus expressed the condition of ennui, (melancholy or listlessness) – a kind of inner emptiness, languor, stultification and world-weariness. (The term ennui had been used in medieval French to signify profound sadness, disgust and personal anguish from the seventeenth century onwards it was used
3.8 Transcending the Romantic-classic divide Much of the ground for the reception of Sardanapalus had now been prepared. The classic-Romantic divide, with David’s followers on one side and Gros and Géricault on the other, was already well established by the time Delacroix produced his painting of mass suicide. Contemporary viewers would have detected Romantic allegiances in, for example, the horse and black slave, probably influenced by Gros. And yet Delacroix never came to terms with the perception of himself as the enemy of
2.5 Neoclassical – the established style All of the disorientating effects of Delacroix’s composition were noted by his contemporaries, whose mindset was very much attuned to more legible treatments of picture space. This was exemplified by David, whose approach to painting represents a particularly austere interpretation of the neoclassical style established in eighteenth-century French art. It contributed to the political aims of the Revolution and First Empire, was admired and emulated by many artists, and remained influ
1.1 Delacroix’s background Ferdinand-Victor-Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) was an artist raised amid the heroism and turmoil of Napoleon’s regime but whose artistic career began in earnest after Waterloo. His father (who died in 1805) held important administrative, ambassadorial and ministerial posts during both the Revolution and Napoleon’s rule. His brothers had fought for Napoleon, one being killed heroically in 1807 at the battle of Friedland, the other a general who was made a baron of the empire before being
5 Conclusion The great advantage of history painting as a form of propaganda was that it could appear to be nothing of the kind. Whereas an official portrait of Napoleon fairly obviously served to focus loyalty towards the nation's leader, a depiction of a battle could be seen, on the one hand, as a work of art in its own right and, on the other, as an objective record of a historical event. This meant that the viewers whose attention was attracted by such a picture would be likely to absorb the version o
Learning outcomes By the end of your work on this unit you should be able to: analyse paintings centred on the human figure in terms of how a work's form and content together produce its meaning; explain how and why French painting came to be used and controlled by the Napoleonic regime; discuss the problems of interpretation raised by Gros's Napoleonic paintings; locate Napoleonic painting within the broad shift from Neoclassicism to Romanticism in Fr
6.2.2 Informational content Obviously for the purpose of historical record, portraits taken in the context of the family home can be more informative than those taken inside the studio with its make-believe settings. Compare the children in Imag 5.7.2 Post-mortems How do Images 73 and 74 differ from the usual studio portraits of children? Make a note of the more obvious differences. 5.5.4 Confirmation You may find it difficult to read the ver 1 How to avoid damage when handling photographs Remember to treat your photographs with the consideration demanded by their age and fragility. Careless handling and storage will cause damage. Handle photographs at the edges: the skin carries chemicals which cause deterioration (professional archivists wear cotton gloves). Hold a photograph in both hands or support an unmounted print with a piece of cardboard to avoid unnecessary handling. Never write on a photograp 7.3 Masks and disguises Masks were used in classical Greek theatre to exaggerate expressions so that they could be seen in the large open-air amphitheatres. Most of us are familiar with the famous stereotypes for tragedy and comedy, but masks were also identified with particular types, whether comic or tragic, such as old man, or king, courtesan or queen. Masks have not been part of the dramatic conventions in Britain, but have been used to reflect social conventions of the Restoration period. The connotations of †Learning outcomes By the end of this unit you should: be able to discuss basic philosopohical questions concerning the nature of emotions; be able to discuss some of the philosophical literature on this subject by William James; have enhanced your ability to understand problems concerning the nature of emotions and to discuss them in a philosophical way. Introduction This unit investigates certain philosophical questions concerning the nature of emotions. This unit is an adapted extract from the Open University course Thought and experience: themes in the philosophy of mind (AA308). 2.4 ‘Culture, identity and power’ Having unpacked some of the issues to do with the term ‘Roman empire’ we turn now to ‘culture, identity and power’, wide-ranging terms involving many different aspects which are often closely interlocked. The following essay, ‘Looking for culture, identity and power’, is designed to help you consider various factors and experiences that helped to shape culture, identity and power as social forces in the empire. It introduces some key topics and terminology. Please read it no 2.2 Imperium as power: Augustus and the beginning of the empire The basic meaning of the Latin term imperium was ‘command’ and the term included the authority that lay behind the mandate. During the long period in which Rome was a republic, imperium signified the power attached to the office of the leading elected magistrates of the city, notably the two annual consuls and the lower-ranking praetors. It was the consuls who commanded the armies and went to the provinces assigned them by the senate. Praetors too came to share a military fu 2.1 ‘Roman empire’ First of all there are some fundamental questions to settle about what is involved in the term ‘Roman empire’: what is meant by ‘Roman’, and what by ‘empire’? What ‘Roman’ signifies is the key question of this unit, and the quest to define Roman-ness, or romanitas, will recur as a central topic. To begin, let us reflect on the various meanings we attach to the word ‘Roman’. We use it in connection with the city, the empire and the people, and each usage involv 2.1 The provinces Controlling and governing the provinces was a substantial part of an emperor's remit. Here you will consider different ways in which the emperor had contact with his provincial subjects. You will work through some sections from books by Goodman and Lewis, and Reinhold and watch a short video sequence.
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Activity 22
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