The Favourite was darkly claustrophobic. Caged rabbits, festering wounds, maniacal fashions and constricting apparatus. For intrigue and acclaim, you need look no further in this brave new world of the historical costume drama… It feels stifling: Whether Queen Anne is stuffing her face with cake or Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough is looking down the … Continue reading Thoughts on The Favourite
Reinforcing the lockdown on women’s sexuality and the expectations surrounding her position is made explicit in their representation in late-medieval art through the frequent juxtaposition of those seen to be as vessels of virtue or vice. Popular divisions were made between good and evil, of life and death and between body and soul: where women … Continue reading ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Women in Medieval Art
Patron’s, either from the public or private spheres, commission the creation of works for a number of reasons: the work of art may be an assertion of status, commemorative or designed for civic purposes. The mentality? If you're going to invest a large sum, it ought to make a statement on a grand scale, especially, … Continue reading Napoleonic Patronage: Canova and the Bonapartes
Courtly love or l'amour courtois as the french called this poetic movement appears in Western European literary and artistic traditions between the 12th and 15th centuries. Beginning with the troubadour poetry of Aquitaine and Provence, a chivalric code of conduct was prescribed, between ladies and the men who vowed to serve them in a romanticised idyll. Stefan … Continue reading L’Amour Courtois: Courtly Love – Women in Medieval Art
