The Origins of Modern Art, Part 1: Seeds of Impressionism

It is difficult to have a true appreciation for French Impressionism without first considering the far-reaching political and social climate that gave rise to the movement. 

This lecture will explore the eighty-year period leading up to the appearance of the first series of Impressionist paintings shown in public, in 1874. Beginning with the French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, the discussion will trace a series of events in French cultural history, making it possible for a small artistic community to feel safe challenging the power elite—both in government and among society’s taste-makers. 

Our presenter, Richard Friswell, is a cultural historian and associate director of the Wesleyan Institute for Lifelong Learning (WILL) program. He is publisher and managing editor of ARTES magazine, a fine arts publication. He is an elected member of the International Art Critics Association, and author of a collection of autobiographical short stories, “Balancing Act: Postcards from the Edge of Risk and Reward”. Friswell lectures and speaks widely on topics of modernism, its art, literature, and history. His M.Ed. is from Boston University, and his M.Phil. is from Wesleyan University.