The foreign invention of British art

Abstract

"A timely history of immigration, integration, and national identity that reveals the true heritage behind some of the nation's defining artworks. To truly understand British art is to recognize the pivotal contributions of the many foreign artists who have called Britain home. Traditional narratives have long obscured foreign influence, but this radical study challenges the notion of an exceptional or exclusive British culture, and in so doing rewrites the history of Renaissance and Enlightenment-era art. Broadcaster and lecturer Leslie Primo expertly places art history in the wider political contexts of xenophobia and influence, addressing both foreign artists working in Britain and British-born artists affected by foreign cultures. From Hans Holbein to Artemisia Gentileschi, William Hogarth to Angelica Kauffman, familiar masters and lesser-known creators are situated within the multiculturalism inherent to, yet commonly dismissed by, the art world at this time. Weaving together artists' experiences of both acclaim and adversity, The Foreign Invention of British Art not only demonstrates how immigration and diversification are so often the driving force behind creative innovation, but also reveals the true heritage behind some of the nation's defining artworks" -- Provided by publisher.

Contents

Hans Holbein the Younger : the beginnigs of immigrant art in Tudor England -- Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger : the impact of Netherlandish painting -- John Bettes to Robert Peake the Elder : Foreign influences on indigenous English art -- Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi : English Baroque at the court of Charles I -- Daniel Mytens : citizen of the Hague, denizen of England -- Peter Paul Rubens : painter, diplomat, statesman -- Anthony van Dyck : the gentleman painter of the English Renaissance -- Wenceslaus Hollar : the bohemian chronicler of London -- William Hogarth : impolite society and British identity -- Joshua Reynolds : grand manner portraiture and the legacy of Mai -- Angelica Kauffman : the grand tour and the Europeanization of British art.