History of Art 7: Late Baroque to Rococo 1640-1800
Dr John Nixon, BA (Hons) DPhil
The Age of Enlightenment, c1640-1800, was an intellectual movement characterised by belief in progress, egalitarianism and the primacy of reason - ideals almost defining western liberal society. Our look at late Baroque and Rococo art, architecture and design takes in the severe grandeur of Wren and Hawksmoor, dreamy escapism of Watteau, Boucher and Fragonard, and the varied - sometimes very dark - 'realism' of Canaletto, Hogarth, Chardin, Stubbs, Gainsborough, Messerschmidt and Goya. Discussions are supported by slides and online recordings.