Stories of Art 1700-1800
- Wednesday, 15 April 2026
- Wednesday, 22 April 2026
- Wednesday, 29 April 2026
- Wednesday, 6 May 2026
- Wednesday, 13 May 2026
- Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Enrol
| Standard: | £90 |
| Concessions: | £85.50 |
Please book a ticket to access the event. You will receive an E-ticket with instructions on how to access your online events, films and resources via your National Gallery account.
Please note, only one ticket can be booked per account.
Concessions are for full-time students, jobseekers, and disabled adults.
About
The 18th century was an age of upheaval – politically, socially and culturally – and its art reveals the tensions and transformations of the time.
Across Europe, expanding empires, shifting global wealth and growing urban populations reshaped who made art, who bought it and what it was for. As royal and aristocratic patronage began to wane, a rising middle class played an increasingly powerful role in defining taste and driving innovation. Questions about national identity, classical revival and artistic authority became central to artistic debate.
In this course, we trace the passage of art through this dynamic century, from the frivolity and humour of the Rococo to the austerity of Neoclassicism. We will explore how artists responded to new audiences, new markets and new political realities, and how art both reflected and distracted from the profound changes of the age.
Led by Dr Matthew Morgan and enhanced by guest contributions from a variety of experts, this course invites you to reconsider 18th-century painting as both a mirror and a mask for a rapidly changing world.
Stories of Art 1700-1800
Until the 20th century, most art movements were not named by those that worked in that style. None more so than the Rococo. Buffeted by wars, revolutions and national chauvinism, Rococo is a style that has been defined as frivolous, thoughtless, shallow and inherently elitist by art historians.
Yet, artists working in this style were able to question how society defined class, gender and economic structures and it was its very light and airy qualities that were seen as a profound threat to more supposedly masculine and serious concerns.
Stories of Art 1700-1800
Artists and art lovers have always travelled to see works of art. However, in the 18th century, this process became codified and commercialised as young men, often in the company of a large entourage, began to travel across Europe as part of their education.
Inevitably, their journeys took in Rome, Venice and Florence. This session will look at how the Grand Tour, as it came to be known, was vital in disseminating ideals based on classical architecture, writing and sculpture. We will look specifically at the ways in which portraits produced by the Italian artist, Pompeo Batoni, catered to this market.
In the second half, art historian Franny Moyle will speak about the life and works of Angelica Kauffmann and Vigée Le Brun.
Stories of Art 1700-1800
Prior to the 18th century, questions of taste were most usually considered alongside questions of social rank. It was assumed that members of the elite were best able to determine the worth of an artistic production, while most of the population were unable to understand what they might be looking at.
However, in Britain, an increasingly prosperous and numerous middle class, and the inexorable commodification of art, meant that the patronage and appreciation of art was no longer confined to one section of society. This week, we will explore how greater engagement with art altered the subjects depicted and the ways in which they were shown
Stories of Art 1700-1800
Artists in Europe have long been inspired by novelty and exoticism from other countries. However, the 18th century saw a rapid increase in opportunities for artists to travel to ever more remote locations. It can come as no surprise that the aesthetic theories and practices they brought with them from Europe were often unequal to the task of accurately capturing what they saw. The session will explore how artists, perhaps inevitably as part of colonial European expansion, and as diverse as Johann Zoffany and Luis Meléndez, recorded what they saw and shaped how people in Europe thought about other lands. We will be joined in the second half by guest speaker Jenny Graham.
Stories of Art 1700-1800
The Enlightenment is often understood as the triumph of scientific enquiry over mysticism and tradition. Across Europe, philosophers, writers, intellectuals and scientists increasingly wanted to understand the world around them and sought to do so through observation and experimentation. We will look at how these changes impacted the production of paintings and, in particular, paintings of volcanoes. We will also consider whether the break with mysticism and superstition was as final as many have claimed.
The second part of the session will focus on a single painting, perhaps the most complete visual presentation of the ideals, and problems, of the Enlightenment – Joseph Wright 'of Derby’s' ‘An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump’. We will see that Wright was both enlightened and a mystic.
Stories of Art 1700-1800
Increased exposure to artifacts excavated from classical Roman and Greek sites, encouraged a deeper interest in, and emulation of, classical art. If the Rococo was perceived as art for Francophile aristocrats, the new style was a clean, serious, supposedly masculine alternative.
Promoted by a range of dealers, antiquarians, artists and, in some cases, secret agents, Neoclassicism was the new art for the newly (and in some cases, already) wealthy. With the French Revolution it became a new style poised for a new regime. From the living rooms of newly constructed elite houses and estates in London and Berlin, Neoclassicism became the style of revolutionary anti-monarchists, as exemplified by the work of Jacques-Louis David. This session will chart the rise of this forward and backward-looking style. We will also learn more about the sculpture of the period in the second half of the session.
Your tutor
Dr Matthew Morgan is a freelance art historian, educator and museum professional. Until recently he was the Museum Director of Turner's House, and he is also an Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London. He has worked in the heritage sector for over 10 years, including at the Royal Collection, the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection. Prior to that he was a Director in Christie’s Valuation Department. He has contributed to TV documentaries, podcasts, radio shows and has lectured widely across the country and made a series of short films which can be seen on YouTube.
Watch again
Can't make Wednesday evenings but don't want to miss out? No problem, you can watch again.
Each session is recorded and made available to you for the duration of the course, up until 2 weeks after the final session.
A video of the week's lecture will be uploaded and available for you to watch via your National Gallery account on Friday afternoons, in time for the weekend
Format
Each session lasts for 2 hours and includes a lecture delivered by the course lecturer followed by a short break and further discussion.
Time will be allowed for questions and discussion via Q&A.
Handouts will be available via your National Gallery account on Tuesday mornings.
Optional homework is provided to help you prepare for the following week's session.
Booking information
This is an online ticketed course hosted on Zoom. Please book a ticket to access the course. Only one ticket can be booked per account.
You will be emailed an E-ticket with instructions on how to access the course via your National Gallery account. All course information including your Zoom link, weekly handouts, and recordings will be available here.
Your link will be valid for the duration of the course.
Booking after the course has started
You are welcome to join the module at any point during its six-week run. You will gain access to all the recordings until two weeks after the final session.