Members Talk: The Real and the Romantic

An exclusive in-person and online talk for members of the Ashmolean with Frances Spalding, author and art historian

Tuesday 18 April, 3.30–4.30pm

The period between the two world wars was a challenging time for any artist, It cannot have been easy to begin creating art again in the aftermath of a brutal and expensive war. Yet interwar art has a surprising capaciousness.

In this talk, join our speaker, author and art historian Frances Spalding, to revisit this interwar period for artists in England. This was a time where without any single, dominating style or movement, it was possible to explore modern subjects in a range of styles.

Initially, realism became the language of reconstruction, and a means by which stillness, stability and continuity could be restated. But there was also a desire to amuse, entertain, and to revive long-standing traditions in modern terms.

Our speaker will discuss artists including Frances Hodgkins and Leonard Campbell Taylor and reference work in our collections.

Tea, coffee and cake will be served in the Headley Lecture Theatre from 3pm.

Find out more about Ashmolean membership at: https://www.ashmolean.org/membership