Learn British history through art!

[Tubby Isaacs]

I think this would be a good idea for a book. It would offer something for traditionalists and whatever the opposite is, and art critics. Loosely:

1) What's depicted?
2) Is it truthful?
3) Anything arty you want to say about it?

This is the sort of thing I mean:

Benjamin West, The Burghers of Calais:



Anyone like the idea?

[Guest]

Learn British history through art!

Yeah I like the idea. I know the basic's of history though the art side of thing I'm a bit vague on.

Also you could add the 'why' the artist painted that scene from history as I guess various times had more resonance with the artists time than they would now.

For instance who paints religious scenes now?

[ursus arctos]

Learn British history through art!

Equal time for the French perspective.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Learn British history through art!

And equal time for a better artist. Though West did a good picture of Benjamin Franklin doing his partypiece with electricity:



Good idea that, Villain. As well as ages/artists identifying with past themes, there's also sometimes a less deep sense of "we need paintings of our history". The Houses of Parliament is full of big frescos like that.

It's quite hard to find images of this sort of painting.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Learn British history through art!

Benjamin Franklin's "partypiece" was to surround himself with cavorting, near-naked infants? He wouldn't get far with that nowadays on "Britain's Got Talent".

[Amor de Cosmos]

Learn British history through art!

2) Is it truthful?

I can see this being a bit of a problem, unless it just means did the incident actually happen. If OTOH you mean "is it a factually accurate portrayal" then it really never can be can it? Which leaves you with Keats and Truth/Beauty, Beauty/Truth. But it doesn't seem as if that's what you intended?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Learn British history through art!

I don't follow the Keats reference, I'm afraid.

Maybe is it persuasive would be a better question?

Here's King Alfred Inciting The Saxons To Encounter The Danes At Sea:



It isn't very persuasive. I didn't know Alfred led a seas attack. Didn't he lead more of a guerilla campaign?

[Amor de Cosmos]

Learn British history through art!

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

It's been a bit of straitjacket for Western aesthetics for a couple of hundred years, IMHO.

"Persuasive" is OK, though maybe it falls at the same fence as factual accuracy. Can you find a painting you're persuaded by?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Learn British history through art!

I'm going to have to use persuasive in some pretty drastic sort of "willing suspension of disbelief" sense. Here's The Death of The Earl of Chatham by Copley



Well, I believe he collapsed making a speech in a busy House of Lords and that it was a charged and dramatic moment- even if he didn't croak like Jesus under a spotlight. There doesn't at first glance seem too much reason to doubt that the incident happened.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Learn British history through art!

The rest of their lordships look pretty indifferent don't they? That's probably fairly accurate I imagine.

[Etienne]

Learn British history through art!

Alfred was responsible for the first ever English navy wasn't he? I mean "English" and "navy" are both anachronistic terms but I think he did get the idea started.

Tubby, I think that your idea has a lot of potential and you should be getting some kind of proposal together for a publisher rather than letting someone from OTF or some lurker steal your idea and make millions, well, probably hundreds of pounds out of it.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Learn British history through art!

It might affect my benefit claim so I won't be doing a proposal.

But thanks for your kind words.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Learn British history through art!

Here's a rare bit of radical history commemorated in art- albeit from the wrong side.

William Walworth, Lord Mayor and alleged stabber of Wat Tyler: