Romantic ruins: An art history
Weekend art history course
22 October 2022 10am - 5pm23 October 2022 10am - 5pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
£420
Friends of the RA book first
Terms and conditions
Ruins – and their depiction – have fascinated cultures from antiquity to today. Join us for this weekend course as we explore various ruins in art and architecture and learn what they tell us about societies.
Please note: this is an on-site event only
The 18th and 19th centuries ushered in a new age of excavation and archaeology that led to a fascination with ancient worlds. Ruins become melancholic symbols of a long-gone grandeur, representative of the fragility of human civilisation. They became a central motif in the art of the Romantic movement from Piranesi to Turner and were celebrated in the writings of Lord Byron and Mary Shelley.
The course uncovers sites and cities of the past, exploring how and why they decayed (whether through the devastating impact of the natural world or from the effects of war and conflict). It asks how artists throughout history have responded to ruins, whether imbuing them with a sense of pathos and dramatic beauty; taking on the role of capturing a changing landscape; or by inventing their own ruins – in the form of intricate capriccio paintings and architectural follies.
The artist, Emma Stibbon RA, reflects on how the complex ideas around ruins influence her own work, including The Whaling Station – on display in the RA’s Collection Gallery. The course takes inspiration from this and a number of other drawings and paintings in the RA collection to think critically about the role of ruins in cultures and societies from the classical world to the present day.
Minimum age 18. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss any accessibility needs, please contact academic.programmes@royalacademy.org.uk.
£420
Friends of the RA book first
Terms and conditions
About the speakers
Paul Cooper is an archivist, editor and journalist, and has a PhD in the cultural and literary significance of ruins. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, The BBC, The Atlantic, National Geographic and Discover Magazine, and he has published two novels: River of Ink (2016) and All Our Broken Idols (2020). He writes, produces and hosts the Fall of Civilizations podcast, which has charted in the top ten British podcasts, and gained upwards of 40 million listens since it launched in 2019.
Brian Dillon is an Irish writer and critic based in London. His books include Suppose a Sentence, Essayism and In the Dark Room. He curated the Ruin Lust exhibition at Tate Modern in 2014, and wrote the accompanying book. He is editor of Ruins and his writing has appeared in Frieze, Artforum, The Guardian, The London Review of Books and The New Yorker. He is Professor of Creative Writing at Queen Mary University of London. Affinities, a book mostly about photographs, will be published in 2023.
Lucien Steil explores traditional cities and architecture as models of cultural identity, ‘otherness’, urbanity and civilization. He created the non-profit organisation ‘Katarxis Urban Workshops a.s.b.l.’ and has collaborated with ‘The Prince’s Foundation’ on projects exploring sustainable urbanism, ‘natural’ and traditional architecture, and community engagement. He is a member of INTBAU’s ‘College of Traditional Practitioners’ (ICTP) and an Honoris Causa member of the ‘Istituto Nazionale di Bioarchitettura’ (Italy), as well as teaching at various universities across Europe and in the USA.
Emma Stibbon RA is Senior Lecturer in Fine Art Printmaking at the University of Brighton. She has travelled widely, recording her responses to the physical appearance and psychological impact of natural and built environments, including participating in the Arctic Circle 2013 expedition. Her large-scale, monochrome works on paper dramatize the effects of human intervention and natural phenomena on monumental structures, and are held in collections including the V&A and the Scott Polar Research Institute.
Christopher Woodward has been the Director of the Garden Museum since 2007, overseeing the £8.2 million reconstruction of the site, a derelict church in Lambeth. He has worked as Assistant Curator at Sir John Soane’s Museum, and has been a Trustee of the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund. His book In Ruins (2001), a study of artists and writers inspired by ruins, was described as ‘a masterpiece’ by the Literary Review and the Independent on Sunday. Further publications on this theme include ‘Visions of Ruin’ (Sir John Soane’s Museum, 1999) and American Ruins (2007).
Gilda Williams is a contemporary art critic, teacher, and author of the bestselling art book, How to Write about Contemporary Art. She is Senior Lecturer on the MFA Curating programme at Goldsmiths College, London, and is also London correspondent for Artforum magazine.
Our courses and classes programme
Our varied programme of short courses and classes provides an opportunity to explore subjects ranging from life drawing to the history of exhibitions and arts management, led by expert tutors and practising artists. These courses introduce traditional art-making processes, as well as perspectives on art history, theory and business.
Give this course as a gift
All of our courses can be purchased as a gift for a friend or family member – giving the gift of education and a remarkable experience. To arrange a personalised Gift Voucher, please contact the Academic Programmes Team, by emailing academic.programmes@royalacademy.org.uk
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