Last year, the Ashmolean Museum sought to challenge widely-held perceptions that the Victorian age was dark and gloomy and instead explored how the era embraced an explosion of colour through developments in art, science and technology. As well as reviving the rich colours of the ancient and medieval past, of the Middle East, India, China and Japan and the natural world, artists and architects embraced the new vivid hues which technological and scientific advances made possible.
The exhibition showcased a spectacular and flamboyant array of artworks, costume and design that sprung from this ‘colour revolution’. In this special evening talk, Matthew will discuss this fascinating history, highlighting some of the objects from international collections ranging from Ruskin’s studies, Turner and Whistler’s experiments with colour harmony, and Morris & Co.’s elaborate designs.
This listing is for the in-person talk happening at the Millennium Gallery. Thanks to funding from the Chromotope project, the event will also be live streamed to watch online – if you would like to book a ticket to the live stream of the event instead, please click here.
Matthew Winterbottom is the Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. This event is part of the programme of events complementing The Ruskin Collection: Capturing Colour and Colour exhibitions at Millennium Gallery.
This talk is supported by Chromotope, an ERC funded Research Project.
Image Credit: Ashmolean Museum Oxford, Ramon Casas (1866–1932), A Decadent young woman, After the dance,1899. Museu do Montserrat, Barcelona
