Rough Seas and Tough Journeys: Travel and Migration in Art

In this webinar we would like to introduce you to the complex stories behind some fascinating works of art, including, The Raft of the Medusa painted by Theodore Gericault in 1819 and The Last of England by Ford Maddox Brown. We will also discuss more contemporary works such as  Between the Two my Heart is Balanced by Lubaina Himid, Nelson's Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonibare and Ship of Fools by Kehinde Wiley.

Great voyages have been subjects of painting and other art  for many centuries, often created to celebrate victories in sea battles and successful campaigns in far lands. But it is with Gericault's huge painting The Raft of The Medusa that we see a new approach in the early 19th Century  as the young artist tackled the subject of a real life tragic event, challenging social injustice and heralding a new era. All the art works we will look at use the subject of sea travel as a vessel to explore aspects of social and personal change. We hope you will join us on this epic artistic voyage.

The webinar is led by Nicola Hepworth- an Art and Art History Teacher with an MA (hons) in Fine Art from the University of Edinburgh, and a practising painter.