Patriotism and Pathos

Résumé du livre

Patriotism and Pathos: War, British Society and the Visual Arts, c. 1688-1830 offers the first comprehensive account of the visual imagery of war in Britain during 'the long eighteenth century'. Drawing on a wealth of unseen primary documentation, as well as more familiar historical and art historical secondary-source material, the book focuses on three main phases of national project: the Glorious Revolution to the beginning of the Seven Years' War (1688-1756); from that point to the loss of America (1756-1775); thence to the victory at Waterloo (1776-1815). The authors consider various key socio-historical themes – nationalism, empire, sexuality, race – whilst also addressing some of the particular conventions of genre, namely through the examination of portraiture and landscape. Numerous facets of visual culture are emplored together – paintings, tombs, commemorative ceramics, busts, civic monuments, satirical prints and recruiting posters – to elucidate not only the way in which art of the period reflected the processes of war but also how that art actually functioned in the formation of a militarized society.