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What is Europe? Lessons from the past: 1648-1948
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Science, Enlightenment, and Royal Patronage
Henri Testelin, Colbert Presenting the Members of the Royal Academy of Sciences to Louis XIV in 1667, oil on canvas, Versailles, France
The enlightenment period that ran from mid-17th century until the end of the 18th century was a time of rapid change in the world of science, philosophy, art, and religion, among others. Thinkers emphasized rationality, curiosity, and experimentation, all to abandon strict religious control on scoiety and thought. -
Absolutism Travels Eastward
Ivan Nikitin, Portrait of Peter the Great. 1717. Oil on canvas. The Financial Department of Florence, Italy.
British and French absolute rule marked history as an age of sumptuous palaces, extravagant artwork, and vast landscaping. The style of governance was characterized by a quest for absolute power over all facets of life, that power coming from a divine right given by God. The style of rule travelled eastward to Peter The Great’s Russia, where he emulated many of the absolutist themes. -
Classic themes in the French Revolution
Jacques-Louis David, The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons, 1789, oil on canvas, 323 cm × 422 cm, Louvre
The French Revolution can be seen as a hopeful liberation from the ways of the Old Regime, based on concepts of liberty and equality. The Revolution touched many people, all from different social, cultural and even national backgrounds. Jacques-Louis David was one of the most influential artists at the time, using classical themes to illustrate new ideas. -
Industrialization - Changing the European Landscape
J. M. W. Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway, 1844, 91 cm × 121.8 cm, National Gallery, London
The 19th century was a period of extremely rapid growth and social change, transforming the European landscape forever. Technological advances created the manufacturing industries, leading to rapid urbanization and a mass exodus from rural areas. New economic practices led to greater social mobility and increased the personal fortunes of some, but most were less fortunate. -
The Western Gaze - Colonialism and the Age of the Empires
Paul Gauguin, Fatata Te Miti, 1892, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
In the period of 1817-1914, European imperialism was at its peak. European powers were extending their influences all across the world, acquiring more and more colonies. During these years, Orientalism emerged as the Western gaze moved to the East, constructing the European vision of the Orient as inferior, associated with femininity and weakness. -
Totalitarianism and the Charismatic Leader
Gerardo Dottori, Il Duce, 1933 oil on canvas, Milan, Civiche Raccolte de Arte
Totalitarian regimes marked 20th century Europe, all functioning on a similar level in their principles and party apparatuses. Of course, their ideologies and values did differ considerably, but they were all rooted in oppressing and eliminating dissent. Dottori’s piece epitomizes the idolization of the charismatic leader common to the European totalitarian states.
