" Art in Britain " Lecture at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

Thursday, 18 October 2007 21:52

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute's recent gift of over 200 British works of art from the Manton Foundation inspires this year's fall course, "Art in Britain: From Van Dyck and Sir Peter Lely to David Hockney and Paula Rego." Lecture on 1 November, 2007.

The Clark's curator of education Michael Cassin will look at the history of painting in Britain from the elegant portraits and exciting narrative paintings produced by continental artists brought to England by King Charles I, through the agricultural and industrial revolutions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to the exciting variety of British painting of the twentieth century. The series continues on Thursday, November 1, at 5:30 pm, on the topic of "Art in the Industrial Age."

Between the mid-eighteenth and the mid-nineteenth centuries, Britain was the cradle-or perhaps the crucible-of the Industrial Revolution. Just as Grand Tourists were inspired by the splendid scenery and the magnificent ruins of the ancient world, many artists of the period were impressed by the marvels and the apparent magic of the contemporary industrial age. On Thursday, November 1, Cassin will discuss paintings by Joseph Mallord William Turner, Joseph Wright of Derby, and others who sought to record the wonders of the modern world in their work.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, MA. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday 10 am to 5 pm (daily in July and August). Admission is free November through May. Admission June 1 through October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and under, members, and students with valid ID. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit www.clarkart.edu.