Post-Doc, History of Art
Thesis Title: 'Equivocal Positions': The Influence of William Rothenstein, c.1890-1910
About
My primary research interests cover British art from 1880 to 1930, with an especial focus on art in London at the turn of the twentieth century. I have written both on the careers of specific artists, such as William Rothenstein (the subject of my thesis) and on the institutional structures of the London art world, particularly the foundation and operation of small commercial galleries.
I intend to expand both areas of this research over the next few years, leading to a publication on ‘William Rothenstein and the British Art World’ (the first major critical work on the artist) and a series of articles on related topics. These include the Wolverhampton and Bradford Exhibitions of 1902 and 1904, the foundation of the Carfax Gallery, Balzac and British artists at the turn of the twentieth century, and the art collection of Charles Rutherston. Other artists in whom I am interested include William Strang, Augustus John, William Orpen, James Pryde, Charles Ricketts, Charles Holmes, Frank Brangwyn, Max Beerbohm and Charles Conder. I am also interested in the reception of European art and artists in England at the turn-of-the-century, (especially that of Rodin, Puvis de Chavannes, Millet, Daumier and Goya); and on the work of Anglo-Jewish artists in the early twentieth century.
My wider interests extend back to the beginning of the nineteenth and forwards to the middle of the twentieth centuries, incorporating art of any medium. Many of the British artists in whom I am interested had international connections (Rothenstein, for instance, studied in Paris, frequently exhibited in Germany and travelled to India) and I seek a similar spirit in my research. Though a detailed analysis of visual sources remains an integral part of my work, my approach is well informed by social history – and a close reading of literary texts.
From July-December 2011 I will be holding a six-month research fellowship from the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art.
Thesis online: http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/1106/
University profile:
http://www.york.ac.uk/history-of-art/staff/shaw/
