FOR JANUARY 21 –

YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART TO EXHIBIT “NOBLENESS AND GRANDEUR” JAN 27

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NEW HAVEN, CONN. — This winter, the Yale Center for British Art presents a groundbreaking exhibition charting the development of the historical landscape genre in Britain from its creation in the mid Eighteenth Century to its culmination in the Romantic period. “Nobleness and Grandeur: Forging Historical Landscape in Britain, 1760–1850,” from January 27 to April 24, features 52 works drawn from the center’s rich collection of paintings, prints, drawings and rare books.

“Nobleness and Grandeur” examines the central role played by historical landscape painting in the evolution of British political and artistic identity at a time of turbulent change. During the Seven Years War, 1756–63, and the wars with Napoleon, 1793–1817, interest in Britain’s heritage and history developed as an expression of national identity and British artists were moved to depict specific indigenous sites rather than imaginary and classical landscapes.

In particular, the surge of interest in the ancient Celtic past of Britain led to a focus on Wales, prompting Richard Wilson to create some of his most ambitious landscapes, such as the monumental pair of canvasses “Dinas Bran from Llangollen” and “View near Wynnstay, Seat of Watkin Williams-Wynn,” 1770-71.

The legacy of Richard Wilson’s historical landscape painting was carried on by his pupil William Hodges, who extended the boundaries of the genre by chronicling the topography of the British Empire. In the subsequent generation of Romantic artists, Wilson’s most significant heirs were J.M.W. Turner, whose ambitious exploration of the possibilities of historical landscape ranged from mythological subjects to contemporary events, and John Constable. Turner and Constable transformed the genre by depicting sites that had deep personal significance.

Yale Center for British Art is at 1020 Chapel Street. The museum is free to the public. For information, 203-432-2853 or www.yale.edu/ycba.

 

1-14 ROBERT MOWRY – CHINA STUDENTS CLUB

FOR JANUARY 14 –

ROBERT MOWRY TO ADDRESS CHINA STUDENTS’ CLUB –

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BOSTON, MASS. — Robert D. Mowry, Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art and head of the department of Asian Art at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, will deliver an illustrated lecture entitled “Song Dynasty, 960-–1279, Ceramics and the Problem of Jun Ware” on Thursday, Jan-uary 27, at 1 pm.

The meeting will be held at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue.

Produced in the Northern Song and Jin periods, classic Jun ware was highly revered by the connoisseurs of the Ming dynasty and ranked by them among the “five great wares of the Song dynasty” and its dating is comparatively well understood. The category known as numbered Jun ware, due to the Chinese numerals impressed on the base before glazing and firing, is on the other hand the subject of much debate amongst scholars and connoisseurs with respect to its dating.

In his lecture, Mowry will explore the connoisseurship problems associated with these exquisitely glazed and beautifully formed large pieces and offer comparative material to support their attribution to the Yuan and early Ming periods.

The China Students’ Club welcomes guests and potential new members. First-time visitors are invited to attend a meeting free of charge; there is a subsequently guest fee of $3. For further information, call Grace Yeomans at 617-227-3238.