|
Order
this publication online
The Irish Face
Redefining the Irish
Portrait
Fintan Cullen
The relationship between art
and national identity is a recurring theme in modern history.
Is it possible to define a 'national' school of art? How far
does culture inspire or reflect social and political change?
The Irish Face tackles these questions head-on with a
bold and original analysis of three centuries of portraiture.
Starting with a discussion of
what makes a portrait particular to one country or region, Fintan
Cullen explores the contradictions within existing definitions
of national art. Politics, geography, religion, commerce, class,
gender and the affiliations of artists and sitters all play a
part in how we read and respond to portraiture. But the history
of Ireland and the experience of the Irish diaspora present the
need for a redefinition of Irish portraiture.
The Irish Face includes chapters on the production
of portraiture both in and about Ireland, the political portrait,
the family and the biographical portrait, and the relationship
between portraiture and success. Featuring over 100 illustrations,
from Jonathan Swift, Charles Stewart Parnell and Seamus Heaney,
to Bono and Mary Robinson, this ambitious study by Fintan Cullen
brings a refreshing and important perspective to our understanding
of art, history and national culture.
Fintan Cullen is Senior Lecturer in the Department
of Art History at the University of Nottingham and author of
Visual Politics: The Representation of Ireland 1750-1930
and Sources in Irish Art: A Reader.
248 x 196mm, 240 pages
158 illustrations, 78 in colour
ISBN 1 85514 290 2
Special online promotion £10 (RRP £30 hardback)
Published June 2004
Click here to browse our complete
range of books on Fine Art
|