New Book | The Minard System
From Princeton Architectural Press:
Sandra Rendgen, The Minard System: The Graphical Works of Charles-Joseph Minard (Princeton Architectural Press, 2018), 176 pages, ISBN: 978-1616896331, $60.
If you have any interest in information graphics, maps, or history, you know of the seminal flow map of Napoleon’s 1812 march into Russia by Charles-Joseph Minard (1781–1870), made famous by Edward Tufte, and considered to be one of the most magnificent data graphics ever produced. The Minard System explores the nineteenth-century civil engineer’s career and the story behind this masterpiece of multivariate data, as well as sixty of Minard’s other statistical graphics reflecting social and economic changes of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and around the world. These stunning drawings are from the collection of the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris and have never before been published in their entirety.
Exhibition | Laurent Amiot: Canadian Master Silversmith
Now on view at the National Gallery of Canada:
Laurent Amiot: Canadian Master Silversmith
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 11 May — 23 September 2018
Curated by René Villeneuve
Laurent Amiot: Canadian Master Silversmith brings together an exceptional selection of silver pieces from the collection of the National Gallery of Canada, as well as from various public and private collections around the world. Considered one of the most influential Canadian silversmiths of the 18th and 19th centuries, Laurent Amiot (1764–1839) completely redefined his craft, turning it into an art form. Visitors to the National Gallery of Canada can explore the brilliance and delicacy of his work through the presentation of nearly a hundred key works, most exhibited for the first time. In addition to religious vessels, accessories, and commemorative and domestic objects, the exhibition features a unique set of preparatory drawings by the artist, as well as several portraits of patrons and paintings providing further context for Amiot’s life and work.
More information is available here»
René Villeneuve, Laurent Amiot: Canadian Master Silversmith (Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing, In partnership with the National Gallery of Canada, 2018), 240 pages, ISBN: 978-1773270418, $50. Also available in French.
Laurent Amiot was born in Quebec City in 1764, and after a first apprenticeship stayed in Paris for five years, just before the French Revolution, to perfect his artistic training. He returned to his hometown in the spring of 1787, acquainted with the latest European stylistic trends, mastering the art of composition and possessing a solid technique. He opened a workshop in the Old City the following year, inaugurating a fruitful practice that spans five decades. This illustrated catalog, containing some 80 works on display, is published on the occasion of the presentation of the first retrospective devoted to the artist. Three chapters highlight the fundamental role of Amiot’s contribution to the development of art in Canada. The first two scrutinize his training, his practice, the operation of the workshop, the role of the collaborators and relationships with patrons. The third analyzes the work, trying to advance knowledge of the society in which it blossomed.
New Gravestone for William Blake
As reported by AFP (via Art Daily, 13 August 2018). . .
Lida Cardozo Kindersley, Gravestone of William Blake, Bunhill Fields, London, unveiled on 12 August 2018 (Photograph by Lida Cardozo Kindersley).
The lost resting place of British poet and artist William Blake was finally marked Sunday [12 August 2018] with a gravestone, almost 200 years after he died.
Despite his influence today, Blake died in obscurity in 1827 and was buried in an unmarked common grave in Bunhill Fields, a London cemetery. Only a plain memorial stone recorded that he was buried nearby, much to the dismay of two devotees who visited, and who decided to find his exact resting place. Luis and Carol Garrido had as their guide the original coordinates of his burial, which were based on a grid of graves but became confused when parts of the cemetery were converted into gardens. After two years of research and some painstaking work with a tape measure, they found it, and the Blake Society—of which they were members—began fundraising for a new memorial to mark the spot. . .
The full article is available here»
Postdoctoral Position: Shakespeare in the Royal Collections
Postdoctoral Research Associate: ‘Shakespeare in the Royal Collections’
Applications are due by 14 September 2018
Applications are invited for a three year, full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on the AHRC funded project, ‘Shakespeare in the Royal Collections’. This is led by Principal Investigator Professor Gordon McMullan (Department of English, King’s College London) and Co-Investigator Dr. Kate Retford (Department of History of Art, Birkbeck College, University of London).
‘Shakespeare in the Royal Collections’ seeks to establish a new understanding of the relationship of Shakespeare and the royal family 1700–1900 by way of the first thorough investigation of the Shakespeare-related holdings in the Royal Collections, from manuscripts through paintings and prints to performance records. It explores the mutually sustaining and legitimating nature of the development of both Shakespeare and the royal family as hegemonic cultural phenomena, asking the twin questions: what has Shakespeare done for the royals, and what have the royals done for Shakespeare?
The PDRA (one of two, with the other working on literary/performance matters) will work on visual culture, with a focus on eighteenth-century material. He/she will assist the PI and CI in delivering the research outputs of the project and contribute to those outputs: the creation of a website containing digital images of all the Shakespeare-related holdings, a set of annotations and contextual data; an innovative set of 3D visualisations; two symposia and a conference; a TV documentary; and an exhibition at Shakespeare’s Globe (2021). He/she will write a monograph based on Shakespeare-related art and material culture objects in the holdings. These range from paintings, sculptures and prints through to a doll of Portia and boxes made from the ‘Mulberry Tree planted by Shakespeare’. Two likely themes for the monograph are: an exploration of the fashioning of royal identities through visual and material identification with key characters and events from Shakespeare; the significance of the Shakespeare holdings for an understanding of the Royal Collections as a whole by providing a key opportunity to juxtapose items inherited, gifted, purchased and commissioned. The PDRA will be fully engaged in developing and shaping the book project according to his/her interests and findings.
Candidates should have a PhD in History of Art or cognate field, which will have been completed before the start of the role. If their PhD is not in History of Art, they should be able to show particular evidence of full awareness of the methodologies and theories of the discipline. The PDRA will have expertise in eighteenth-century material to complement the specialism of the other PDRA (already appointed) in Victorian and early-twentieth-century performance. Engagement with interdisciplinary approaches and a willingness to work across visual and literary culture are vital. Collections-based experience, such as cataloguing or provenance work, whether professional or gained through academic research, is highly desirable. Applicants should also be able to demonstrate ability to work well in a team, to manage their time and research efficiently and either have or be willing to acquire the appropriate digital competence.
Additional information is available here»
New Book | Francesco Solimena (1657–1747)
From ArtBooks.com:
Nicola Spinosa, Francesco Solimena (1657–1747) e le Arti a Napoli (Rome: Ugo Bozzi, 2018), 2 volumes, 1100 pages, ISBN: 978-8870030600, 320€ / $425.
Vol. 1 – dedicato al catalogo ragionato dei dipinti di Solimena (Nicola Spinosa); indici dei nomi e dei luoghi realtivi al volume I. Vol. 2 – dedicato al catalogo ragionato dei disegni di Solimena (Cristiana Romalli); con saggi sull’architettura (Leonardo Di Mauro), sulla scultura e le arti decorative (Gian Giotto Borrelli), su Solimena illustratore (Lorella Starita) e sulla musica al tempo di Solimena (Dinko Farbis); regesto su Solimena pittore a cura di Tiziana La Marca; Bibliografia generale (volumi I e II; indici dei nomi e dei luoghi relativi al volume II).
New Book | Human Redemption: The Cycle in the Chiesa Nuova
Published by Gangemi, and available from ArtBooks.com:
Giulia Silvia Ghia, ed., La Salvazione Umana: Il ciclo della Chiesa Nuova in cerca di un mecenate / Human Redemption: The Cycle in the Chiesa Nuova in Search of a Patron (Rome: Gangemi Editore, 2018), 160 pages, ISBN: 9788849236194, $65. Italian and English text.
The majestic cycle of fifteen canvases completing the decoration of Santa Maria in Vallicella was unveiled just prior to the 1700 Jubilee. This church is now owned by the Fondo Edifici di Culto, which safeguards, conserves, and promotes more than 820 religious structures across Italy. Lining the path toward St Peter’s Basilica, its paintings continue to present the world with the precious message of Human Redemption. This book retraces the history, importance, and exceptional beauty of this largely unknown cycle. More importantly it brings attention to the need for its restoration that, now as 320 years ago, requires the support of one or more patrons, inspired by a passion for this story.
C O N T E N T S
• The Cycle of Human Redemption: A Comprehensive Overview
• The Chiesa Nuova before the 1675 Jubilee
• The Decoration of the Chiesa Nuova during the Last Quarter of the Seventeenth Century
• A Study of the Use of Materials, Methods of Realization, and Requirements for the Restoration of the Cycle of Human Redemption
Symposium | Resurrecting the Dead
Nicholas Hawksmoor, Howard Mausoleum at Castle Howard, North Yorkshire, 1729.
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From The Mausolea and Monuments Trust:
Resurrecting the Dead: The Mausolea and Monuments Trust 2018 Symposium
The Gallery, London, 13 October 2018
The theme of the symposium is the maintenance and restoration of funerary architecture and sculpture. We will explore the field through a range of approaches, with papers from some of the country’s leading curatorial and architectural professionals, showcasing a variety of significant subjects from their differing perspectives. The registration fee is £25. Thanks to generous support from the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain, we are able to offer eight free places to current university students (at any point in their education); to apply please send a short explanation of your current studies to fsands@soane.org.uk.
P R O G R A M M E
10.30 Coffee
11.00 Session One
• Bernadette Gillow (National Trust, Ightham Mote Portfolio), Darnley Mausoleum, Cobham: A Phoenix from the Ashes
• Paul Harrison (Harrison Design Development Ltd), Restoration at West Norwood Cemetery
• Amy Frost (Museum of Bath Architecture and Beckford’s Tower, Bath Preservation Trust), Landscape as Monument: The Suffragettes Wood in Bath
13.15 Lunch
14.15 Session Two
• Charles Wagner (Built Heritage Consultancy), Tom Drysdale (Historic Royal Palaces), and Gabriel Byng (Cambridge University), Just How Important Is That Pile of Stones? Or How Do You Convince Charitable Funders That It Is Worth Spending £¼Million on the Ruins of a Building of Absolutely No Practical Use?
• Christopher Ridgway (Castle Howard), The Castle Howard Mausoleum: Form, Function and Future
15.45 Tea
Exhibition | The Genius of Grinling Gibbons
Now on view at Fairfax House:
The Genius of Grinling Gibbons: From Journeyman to King’s Carver
Fairfax House, York, 14 April – 14 September 2018
Grinling Gibbons, King David Panel, ca. 1670, boxwood (York: Fairfax House).
Fairfax House is delighted to announce the recent acquisition of Grinling Gibbons’s King David Panel the earliest-known, surviving work by Gibbons—made in York. Saved from international export and potential obscurity in a private collection, this magnificent work now forms part of the permanent collection at Fairfax House.
To celebrate the ‘home-coming’ of this exquisite piece of craftsmanship and to illuminate the extraordinary skill of Grinling Gibbons—the ‘Michelangelo of Wood’—Fairfax House will be mounting a major new exhibition in 2018, The Genius of Grinling Gibbons: From Journeyman to King’s Carver. Opening on the 370th anniversary of Grinling Gibbons’ birth, this exhibition also marks the 350th year of his arrival in York. Drawing on new research and bringing together artworks and sculpture by the hand of this iconic individual from across the country (including St Paul’s Cathedral, Hampton Court Palace, the Sir John Soane Museum, and the V&A), The Genius of Grinling Gibbons celebrates Grinling Gibbons’s unequalled talent, his visionary genius, and his ability to transform the medium of wood into something magical. It will explore his development from an obscure journeyman through to becoming the country’s most celebrated master-carver, working for the King himself.
Call for Papers | Rethinking the Genius of Grinling Gibbons
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From the Call for Papers:
2018 Fairfax House Georgian Studies Symposium
Rethinking the Genius of Grinling Gibbons
Fairfax House, York, 19 October 2018
Proposals due by 31 August 2018
The sixth Fairfax House Symposium in Georgian Studies, held in conjunction with the exhibition The Genius of Grinling Gibbons at Fairfax House, and in partnership with the History of Art department at the University of York, aims to stimulate new thinking and new perspectives on the life, work, legacy, and significance of Grinling Gibbons (1648–1721), master carver of Restoration England.
Gibbons is a celebrated figure, yet much about his life and work remains obscure and contentious: not least, the difficulties of attribution have meant that the exact extent, chronology, and character of his oeuvre remain unclear. Similarly, as a ‘great figure’ of the Restoration, he has tended to be considered in isolation rather than placed in his social, political, scientific, architectural, and artistic contexts, while his position within the marginalized field of decorative arts has distorted the scholarly and antiquarian perspectives through which he has been viewed. Questions of patronage, politics, artistic influence, and the collaborative and workshop cultures of creation, as well as the national identity ascribed to this ‘English genius’ who was born and trained in the Netherlands, may all require reassessment. The 370th anniversary of Gibbons’ birth (and the 350th anniversary of his arrival in York) provide an opportune moment to draw together the knowledge gained from previous generations of scholarship, to stimulate new ideas and perspectives, and to rethink the perception and reality of ‘England’s Master Carver’.
Proposals for papers dealing with ‘rethinking’ Grinling Gibbons are enthusiastically invited for potential inclusion in a one-day interdisciplinary symposium. We are keen to encourage participation from people from a wide range of disciplines and career profiles: museum professionals and volunteers, early career and distinguished scholars, curators and teachers in higher education, as well as artists, craftspeople and other practitioners.
We are seeking (1) more formal 20-minutes papers to be presented in panels organised around relevant themes, and (2) 10-minute object-based presentations and discussions which can be informal or formal in nature, focused on a particular work by or relevant to Gibbons. Please send proposals for either section 1 (formal 20-minute papers) or section 2 (10-minute object-based presentations), accompanied by a brief biography, to fairfaxhousesymposium@gmail.com by 31 August 2018. Any queries about the symposium should be sent to the same address.
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Note (added 8 November 2018) — I’m sorry to have not added the conference programme before the event took place, but for anyone who may have stumbled upon this page for information purposes after the fact, the programme is available as a Word file here. –CH
Course | The Artist and the Garden
John S. Muller, A General Prospect of Vaux Hall Gardens, Shewing at one View the disposition of the whole Gardens, ca. 1715–92, hand-colored engraving on wove paper (New Haven: Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection).
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From the Paul Mellon Centre:
Public Lecture Course | The Artist and the Garden
Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, London, Thursdays, 27 September — 25 October 2018
Registration opens on 20 August 2018
The Artist and the Garden will explore the multifarious ways in which the artist has impacted upon our understanding and perception of the British garden from the seventeenth century to the present day. Through a series of related but discrete talks, speakers will explore not only the ways in which artists depicted gardens but how so many of them were active as gardeners themselves, whether they were formulating grand landscape designs or cultivating private domestic spaces. The course will feature lectures from Christopher Woodward, Director of the Garden Museum, noted academics such as Joy Sleeman and Stephen Daniels, as well as landscape architect Todd Longstaff-Gowan.
The course meets every Thursday for five weeks from 27 September to 25 October 2018, 6.30–8.30pm (6.30–7.00 Drinks, 7.00–8.30 Lecture and Discussion). The course is open to all and free to attend, but enrolment is required. Registration will open at 10am on 20 August. In the meantime please read the Frequently Asked Questions for information on changes to our enrollment and booking procedures.
27 September — Introduction, with Christopher Woodward
4 October — Repton and the Landscaped Garden, with Stephen Daniels
11 October — Country Gardens, with Martin Postle
18 October — Land Art, with Nicholas Alfrey and Joy Sleeman
25 October — Artist in Focus: Eileen Hogan, with Todd Longstaffe-Gowan
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