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Coming of Age as a Traveller

John Soane brought the Grand Tour, a period of travel for young, elite, English men to learn about culture and history, to his own home for his students to study.
Sir John Soanes Musuem
Photo found here.

English travellers often went to places like Venice with an idea that the entire city will be as it is in idealistic paintings.
Venice:The Grand Canal with S. Simeone Piccolo, Canaletto, about 1740
Photographed at The National Gallery, London

This piece too provides an idealistic, fantasy view of Venice for English travellers to expect - one highly praised by Ruskin, and art critic who many Englishmen admired and respected.
St Benedetto, Looking towards Fusina, JMW Turner, 1842
Photographed at Tate Britain.

Turner, widely known for his travel paintings, portrays Venice with historical greats, suggesting to English travellers that the city is full of their influence on the architecture and art -  a tempting proposition.
Rome from the Vatican. Raffaelle, Accompanied by La Fornarina, Preparing his Pictures for the Decoration of the Loggia, JMW Turner, 1820
Photographed at Tate Britain.

A view shared with the gardeners of the Pope's private garden is not something the English would expect to see on their Grand Tours, but it could be what they take away from them in the end.
St. Peter's and te Vatican from the Gardens of the Villa Barberini, Rome, JMW Turner, 1819
Photographed at Tate Britain

When a person lives life as a traveller, it is often the little things they remember and take away as opposed the the big, touristy places they went; they view the world through its simple, universal moments such as a stay at an inn at sunset.
An Old Man holding a Pilgrim-Bottle, unknown Italian artist, probably 1650s
Photographed at the National Gallery, London



Comments

  1. Professor SteeleJuly 24, 2017 at 10:51 PM

    These are wonderful captions; you'd make a fine docent to these galleries!

    ReplyDelete

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