top of page

Library of On Demand Talks
related to

the 18th Century

  • 18th Century Mexican CASTA Paintings and the Birth of Colourism
    18th Century Mexican CASTA Paintings and the Birth of Colourism
    Casta paintings illustrated the varying degrees of intermixture between colonial subjects, defining them for 18th century Spanish officials. A discovery in Leicester Museums and Galleries art store has lead to new research and an upcoming exhibition. Michael discusses. See more info below
  • The Greatest Female Patrons in History: Catherine the Great (1729–1796)
    The Greatest Female Patrons in History: Catherine the Great (1729–1796)
    She reigned over a golden age of Russian culture, founding what would become the State Hermitage Museum and transforming St. Petersburg into one of Europe’s cultural centers. Started for political reasons, she becomes a knowledgeable and passionate collector owning 4,000 Old Master paintings.
  • Hogarth and Europe
    Hogarth and Europe
    Cindy Polemis, explores the artistic exchanges of the 18th century, and investigates how Hogarth and artists across Europe captured the new social, philosophical and economic ideas in unforgettable visual social commentaries which still resonate today. More information below.
  • Imperial Purple to Marie Antoinette’s fleas
    Imperial Purple to Marie Antoinette’s fleas
    The social history of colour in textiles from BC to the end of the 18th century. This lecture shows the developing skills of the dyers to meet the desires of their customers, how they learned to colour different materials and how fashionable colours emerged from the most unlikely sources.
  • Spanish Art: Suffering - Goya & Sunshine - Sorolla
    Spanish Art: Suffering - Goya & Sunshine - Sorolla
    Goya's artworks show his personal approvals & dislikes, and his despair with Spanish politics. While Joaquín Sorolla focusses on leisure beautiful Spanish coastal scenes, reflecting a Spain on the brink of a new era.
  • IDEALISED CLASSICISM: Jean-August Ingres
    IDEALISED CLASSICISM: Jean-August Ingres
    ‘There comes a time when an artist of genius feels somehow swept along by his own capacities...I think I am that man'. This week Alan will consider the great French Master Ingres, his history paintings, his portraits and his skill as a draughtsman.
  • Stuff of Nightmares
    Stuff of Nightmares
    As the nights draw in, Cindy Polemis looks at artists who have been fascinated by images of violence, horror and the supernatural to convey feelings of terror and wonder. From the 18th century Gothic Nightmare of Henry Fuseli to the contemporary dystopian landscapes of Anselm Kiefer.
  • The Intimacy of Miniatures
    The Intimacy of Miniatures
    From diplomatic gifts to tokens of love, between 16th-19th c miniatures were commissioned as small portraits which could be held in the hand or placed inside lockets creating an intimate relationship between the owner and sitter. Cindy looks at the history of these tiny treasures of art.
  • Master Pieces: Drouais - Madame de Pompadour
    Master Pieces: Drouais - Madame de Pompadour
    Madame de Pompadour was hugely influential at the French court during the rule of Louis XV, and incremental in the development of the Rococo style. During this Master Pieces lecture we will look at this portrait made at the end of her life.
bottom of page