Back in the nineteenth century

Turning back the clock this week to look at three paintings from the second half of the nineteenth century.

The Nativity by Arthur Hughes, the earliest, painted 1858.
David and Goliath by Edgar Degas, an early work of the artist painted 1864.
The Shadow of Death by William Holman Hunt, painted 1870-73.

Two of the works are English, one is French. I've spent today marshalling background information on the Victorian period and Pre Raphaelite Art in an effort to establish where there are gaps in my knowledge of the British scene. French history of the period is almost a total blank but more may emerge tomorrow. A reading day in Cambridge later this week should go some way to making good deficiencies.

At this stage, the three paintings seem to represent the main strands of changing religious thought of the period. Degas draws on a biblical story with no apparent spiritual intent; Hughes reflects the reinvention of tradition advocated by the Oxford Movement; Hunt uses his artistic skill to describe the role and identity of Christ much as a non-conformist preacher of the day might have done. Secularist, traditionalist and evangelist. Sounds remarkably contemporary.

Two thirds of the way through the sabbatical now. The Tour continues during August in Cambridge - the Fitzwilliam and Kettle's Yard - and back on the south coast to pursue Stanley Spencer. The absence of his work at Southampton was a disappointment but I hope a visit to the Memorial Chapel at Highclere will make up for that.