Past Talks
Art as Historical Evidence
Date: 18th October 2021
Speaker: Jane Card
In the introduction to her talk, Jane indicated that when the study of history as an academic discipline began, written material was the basis of study. Visual evidence, which could be misinterpreted, was thought to be too complicated. However, it was established that the same questions could be asked of art as of documentation, viz;
- What was its purpose?
- Who requested it?
- What was going on at the time?
- Who was the audience?
Elaborating on her subject, Jane went on to show that whilst it was tempting to take paintings and prints as straightforward windows into the period in which they were created, in fact they are constructions using various methods to convey meanings required by the patron or to appeal to a potential purchaser. They can, however, reveal the assumptions, concerns and hopes of their time.
Scholars know not to take an image at face value. They contain codes and conventions, and show contemporary opinions of society. Among the examples Jane cited was ‘The Family of Henry‘ 1542/5. The intention of the painting was to show Henry as a perfect renaissance prince, whereas at the time of the painting’s creation he was overweight and crippled with ulcers. Jane Seymour, who is pictured, had been dead for ten years and the beautiful room in which they were all depicted never existed in Whitehall Palace.
‘Over London by Rail’ by Gustav Dore is found in school textbooks, being used to illustrate poverty in London in the Victorian period. However, the impression that a London street is pictured is misleading, as maps reveal that no curving street like that shown exists in London and the painting is the result of a journey right across the capital, rather than being of one location.
Seeing an image through the eyes of the artist or society presents considerable challenge. Contemporary texts or other images may be needed for clarification. Jane displayed the portrait of Princess Elizabeth by William Scrots, painted around 1546, when she was about 13 years old. Modern observers interpret her expression as that of an abused child. This analysis is incorrect, as other portraits from the period, such as Scrots’ picture of her half-brother, Edward VI, indicate that theirs was a normal expression for portraits of the time.
Detailed analyse of the iconography, idealisation and satirisation is required to give us access to contemporary views of the past.
‘The Rainbow Portrait’ portrays Queen Elizabeth I and contains many examples of iconography.
We may regard an image of a subject with their head in their hands as meaning depression or thoughtfulness, but, in the past, its meaning was that of death. Some symbols have diverse meanings because they come from a variety of sources. They may change over time and have different nuances of meaning to different people. Images reflect changing interpretations of history, so constant re-evaluation is important. How the inclusion of a carnation in an image should be interpreted is just one example of this.
‘The Sinews of Old England’ by George Elgar Hicks (1857) shows a totally unrealistic portrayal of a navvie and his family. It depicts what Victorians would regard as the epitome of a working man and his working-class wife. It extolls the virtue of work, which would have appealed to Victorians. It does not, however, give any impression of the downside of a navvie’s life.
‘Applicants for Admission to a Casual Ward’ (Luke Fildes 1874) reveals the reality of life for many, including a navvie and his unfortunate family.
Finally, the manipulation of images was considered. This could be the repainting of a picture to enable the substitution of individuals who have fallen out of favour or to project an alternative interpretation of a scene. Photos can also be falsified for similar reasons.
Sally James