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Victorian Art: the Stories and the Scandals
19th century Life and Times
Friday 6th November, 11.00am
Join Val Woodgate, Art Historian, for a lecture in the series about Victorian art. There are three lectures in this series to be enjoyed but you do not need to attend all.
More than in any other period, art in the Victorian age gives us a wonderful insight into life and attitudes of the time. Through art we are made aware of the deep gulf between the rich and the poor, the plight of the homeless, the tragedy of the millions forced to emigrate because of economic circumstances, the thrill the Victorians experienced when using the omnibus or the railway, and their attitudes to prostitution, the fallen woman and divorce.
The pictures also reveal the Victorian obsession with sickness and mortality, childhood and love, their fear of female demands for equality and the vote (‘The Woman Problem’), and much much more.
This lecture: 19th century Life and Times
The reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) saw huge changes in society, with the growth of the modern city and increasing industrialisation. Alongside this there was an expansion of middle-class prosperity and increasing poverty among the lower classes, with emigration and the army being promoted as a way out of hardship.
In a nation where nobody lives more than seventy miles from the sea there developed a fashion for Lost at Sea paintings which, sadly, reflected only too well the perils facing those whose livelihood depended on the sea.
In a century of change, we find that art reveals, as never before, the lives and concerns of a broad spectrum of people. We can think of this as a kind of autobiography, but like any autobiography, we often have to read between the lines.
This talk will take place via Zoom. Details of the zoom link will be sent to participants the day prior to the lecture.
