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Making the Modern Artist

Culture, Class and Art-Educational Opportunity in Romantic Britain
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Making the Modern Artist uncovers the origins of the modern artist in Britain, challenging common assumptions by examining nearly 1,800 students of the Royal Academy of Arts from 1769 to 1830. It reveals how family backgrounds, personal networks, and social mobility shaped who could become an artist. The book situates the rise of the modern artist in Romantic Britain, linking art, capitalism, and the paradoxes of personal freedom amid social hardship in the modern era.
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Format: Hardback
$10799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Making the Modern Artist will appeal to readers interested in art history, cultural studies, and British history, especially those curious about the social and historical contexts surrounding artistic identity and education.

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Exploring the myths and realities of the origins of the "modern artist" in Britain

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Exploring the myths and realities of the origins of the “modern artist” in Britain

The artist has been a privileged figure in the modern age, embodying ideals of personal and political freedom and self-fulfilment. Does it matter who gets to be an artist? And do our deeply held beliefs stand up to scrutiny?

Making the Modern Artist gets to the root of these questions by exploring the historical genesis of the figure of the artist. Based on an unprecedented biographical survey of almost 1,800 students at the Royal Academy of Arts in London between 1769 and 1830, the book reveals hidden stories about family origins, personal networks, and patterns of opportunity and social mobility.

Locating the emergence of the “modern artist” in the crucible of Romantic Britain, rather than in 19th-century Paris or 20th-century New York, it reconnects the story of art with the advance of capitalism and demonstrates surprising continuities between liberal individualism and state formation, our dreams of personal freedom, and the social suffering characteristic of the modern era.

Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

"The subject matter is worthwhile and there are plenty of fascinating material in the best passages." — Alexander Adams, The Salisbury Review

"This richly illustrated volume is a valuable contribution to the story of the history of art education. Artists are shown as living social beings and that no artwork can be detached from the conditions of its making." — William Shipley Group for RSA History Bulletin

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781913107154

Publisher: Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 22 September 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

Illustration: 200 color + b-w illus.

Audience: General / adult, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 216.0mm

Height: 267.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Martin Myrone is senior curator of pre-1800 British art at Tate Britain, London.

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