The Art of Britain - Essay Example

the art of Britain by The of the The of the School The and where it is located The Date The art of Britain There no doubt in the fact that the society which is formed by the human beings features a considerable number of peculiarities. Indeed, they are usually manifested in many different aspects of the daily routine. However, abilities such as generating verbal interaction reflect only the superficial level of difference. There are some aspects that show the uniqueness of the human nature on a much deeper level. One can hardly disagree with that the idea of art is characteristic to human race as it is no found anywhere beyond its boundaries. That is why a careful examination of works of art is able to give an insight into the nature of the human civilization. This paper will review art of the United Kingdom, beginning with review of visual art of the early eighteen century and analyzing peculiarities of this area of social life in every century, highlighting the main figures as well as their contributions. To begin with, it would be rather important to analyze the background of the of the United Kingdom. As it was stated before, if one examines this particular period of time, one will have a definite starting date: the year 1707, which is the official formation of the above mentioned state. However, it is quite clear that prior to the eighteenth century different nations, including those which formed the kingdom, were living their full cultural as well as aesthetic lives. That is why it would be rather important to note that art of the United Kingdom should be considered to be a peculiar combination which was influenced by its four elements: the art of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. In other words, while analyzing the above mentioned period of time, one should keep in mind that it was largely affected by the local peculiarities. Speaking of art of the United Kingdom of the early eighteen century, one should mention several points. First of all, there was an evident lack of British artists per se. It would be an exaggeration to suggest there were any, but their number was really small and many needed additional training in order to improve their skills. As for the genres which were quite popular, one should argue that portrait continued to be one of the most frequent works of art at the time. This is particularly seen in the legacy of Sir James Thornhill who was able to raise the level of his works above average and become a notable figure of portraits (Downes 1993). Moreover, a lot of painters at that time such as William Hogarth put a lot of emphasis on their national identity, combining their art with politics and producing works that contained political satire which was directed against other countries. As for the second half of the eighteenth century the state of affairs changes a lot. Thus, Royal Academy of Arts was created in 1768 and quickly become one of the most influential organizations in the field (Kemp 2000). Joshua Reynolds, being the first president of it, set the model for other artist and contributed to the emergence of other talented painters. At that point the portraits no longer were regarded to be the most important area of art, they were pushed away by history painting. Indeed, the late eighteenth century is when this genre truly flourishes. What is more important is that the cultural life is also marked with the increase of the importance of other sub genres of visual art such as caricature. However, unlike the previously mentioned satire, it was more directed at showing the peculiarities of the British social life, rather than attacking other countries. It would not be a mistake to point out that the period of nineteenth century was marked by the strong influence of Romanticism. Indeed, this was the time which witnessed the rise of the several extremely talented British artists, such as J.M.W. Turner, John Constable or William Blake. Thus, the works of the latter are thought to have had a considerable impact on the counterculture which emerged in the United States of America several centuries later. Speaking of John Constable, it becomes self evident that his approach towards depicting a landscape did not feature any unusually figures; however, the influence that his works had on the audience could be easily compared to the previously popular history painting (Thornes 1999). The next period of the development of the United Kingdom in general left a distinct trace on art as well. Thus, the reign of Queen Victoria resulted in the emergence of Victorian art. One of the organizations which should be regarded as a driving force of the time was Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (Smith & Cahill 2012). The artists who belonged to this group rejected the guidelines which affected the work of previously recognized masters such as Reynolds and introduced a new standard into art. In addition to that, the development of organizations which were designed to improve the talent of the artists was tremendous: not only the Royal Academy of Arts could influence the aesthetic environment in the country, but Liverpool Academy or Scottish Academy also made a significant contribution. Overall, art was largely affected by the dominant public opinion, namely the celebration of supremacy of the British Empire in different sphere of life. Finally, it would be rather important to analyze the development of art of the United Kingdom on the twentieth century, including contemporary art. Speaking of the former, it was represented by the works of such talented artists as William Orpen who challenged the public opinion and presented an unusual approach towards traditional issues (Upstone, 2008). As for the contemporary art, one would not make a mistake, suggesting that it is characterized by opposition between Young British Artists movement as well as Stuckists group. The former adhere to more conventional ways of expression. The often participate in exhibitions all over the world, involving different media people. The latter artistic group, on the other hand, is not afraid to express satire about the contemporary art and challenge its fundamentals. Having analyzed the development of art of the United Kingdom, it would be rather advantageous to express my personal reflection of the information which was presented in the paragraphs above. Thus, it was extremely interesting for me to learn that art of this country lacked professional artists at first. I think this reflects the uniqueness of the national identity of the British people: they did not want to import new aesthetic traditions, but decided to nurture their own talented people, hoping that after several decades they would be able to produce something worthy. Indeed, the late eighteenth century proves that such an approach was a rather effective one, since famous artists were able to earn a considerable sum of money and enjoy high respect in the society. What also impressed by about art of the United Kingdom is that it is largely affected by the social life. Thus, at first is was politically driven and might have been used as a tool in foreign relationships. Later, arts adopted a role of a mirror that the British people used to look at themselves. Finally, in the course of the Victorian age, the dominant public paradigm which was heavily rooted in the supremacy of the United Kingdom over other countries inevitably was reflected in art. As also liked the very past period of the development, namely the contemporary art as I believe that this is particularly important to questions the traditions for time to time as it gives a powerful impulse for the development of something new. References Downes, K 1993, English architecture public and private essays for Kerry Downes, Hambledon Press, London. Kemp, M 2000, The Oxford history of Western art, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Smith, E & Cahill J 2012, The Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, CV Publications, London. Thornes, J 1999, John Constables skies: A fusion of art and science, University of Birmingham, University Press, Edgbaston. Upstone, R 2008, William Orpen: An onlooker in France, Paul Holberton Publishing, London. Read More