Academic Sessions: Exeter 1998
Aesthetic Identities
Conveners:
Anne Anderson (Southampton Institute) and Dr Caroline Dakers (Central St Martins)
By the 1870s the initials PB, originally standing for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, had come to mean Passionate of Brompton, a nomenclature that was broadly used to denote those who pursued Beauty. Aestheticism was identified with a certain physical type, a distinctive style of dressing and a life-style which was dependent on the House Beautiful. The influence of Aestheticism extended to all aspects of the fine and decorative arts.
Topics for discussion may include: Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic identities; the debates in the 1880s, in England, France and Belgium surrounding the Artists of the Soul; artists and models - the identification of the artist with certain physical types/models; the persona of the artist, professional status and public identities; the identification of Aestheticism with specific middle-class/mercantile/nouveau-riche patrons and publics; the formulation of gender-specific identities, i.e. the Aesthetic Woman, the Femme-fleur, the Femme-fatale or the Aesthetic Dandy; the Palace of Art - the emergence of interior decorating as a means of self-expression and signifier of identity; the influence of the studio environment in the formulation of the artistic interior; public identification of the movement with dress and interior decoration - the development of consumerism and shopping; popular culture and mass markets - the circulation of prints and photographs and the impact of satire.
Proposals for papers should be sent to the conveners at the following addresses:
Anne Anderson, Fine Arts Valuation, Built Environment Faculty, Southampton Institute, S014 0YN. Tel: (01703) 319484/319294; Fax:(01703) 319834; Email: anne.anderson@Solent.ac.uk
Dr Caroline Dakers, Central Saint Martins, 238 Liverpool Road, London N1 1LG.
Tel: (0171) 609 9044.
Anne Anderson (Southampton Institute) and Dr Caroline Dakers (Central St Martins)
By the 1870s the initials PB, originally standing for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, had come to mean Passionate of Brompton, a nomenclature that was broadly used to denote those who pursued Beauty. Aestheticism was identified with a certain physical type, a distinctive style of dressing and a life-style which was dependent on the House Beautiful. The influence of Aestheticism extended to all aspects of the fine and decorative arts.
Topics for discussion may include: Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic identities; the debates in the 1880s, in England, France and Belgium surrounding the Artists of the Soul; artists and models - the identification of the artist with certain physical types/models; the persona of the artist, professional status and public identities; the identification of Aestheticism with specific middle-class/mercantile/nouveau-riche patrons and publics; the formulation of gender-specific identities, i.e. the Aesthetic Woman, the Femme-fleur, the Femme-fatale or the Aesthetic Dandy; the Palace of Art - the emergence of interior decorating as a means of self-expression and signifier of identity; the influence of the studio environment in the formulation of the artistic interior; public identification of the movement with dress and interior decoration - the development of consumerism and shopping; popular culture and mass markets - the circulation of prints and photographs and the impact of satire.
Proposals for papers should be sent to the conveners at the following addresses:
Anne Anderson, Fine Arts Valuation, Built Environment Faculty, Southampton Institute, S014 0YN. Tel: (01703) 319484/319294; Fax:(01703) 319834; Email: anne.anderson@Solent.ac.uk
Dr Caroline Dakers, Central Saint Martins, 238 Liverpool Road, London N1 1LG.
Tel: (0171) 609 9044.