Stonehenge has fascinated artists for many centuries, the first visual representations of it being made in the middle ages. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was regularly depicted, as were other prehistoric monuments, and its appeal was also explored by artists of the modern movement. In every period, we can trace the relationship between artistic creativity on the one hand and antiquarian/archaeological knowledge on the other. Initially, artists and engravers sought only to provide a record of the monument, but increasingly attempts were made to go beyond mere illustration to offer something that captured the experience of the site. This talk will explore the whole gamut of these representations to tease out their different agendas. Artists to be discussed include John Constable, William Blake, J.M.W. Turner, Henry Moore, John Piper, Paul Nash and Jeremy Deller.
Stonehenge has fascinated artists for many centuries, the first visual representations of it being made in the middle ages. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was regularly depicted, as were other prehistoric monuments, and its appeal was also explored by artists of the modern movement. In every period, we can trace the relationship between artistic creativity on the one hand and antiquarian/archaeological knowledge on the other. Initially, artists and engravers sought only to provide a record of the monument, but increasingly attempts were made to go beyond mere illustration to offer something that captured the experience of the site. This talk will explore the whole gamut of these representations to tease out their different agendas. Artists to be discussed include John Constable, William Blake, J.M.W. Turner, Henry Moore, John Piper, Paul Nash and Jeremy Deller.