Available online
Description
The aim of the programme is to show how, out of the industrialised cities of the 19th century, artists and poets of modern times have created a positive and enthusiastic image of city life. In the ...17th and 18th centuries, artists, as well as philosophers and poets, had little doubt as to the identity of city and civilisation. But the later 18th Century brought a sudden and total rejection of the serene and joyous city image. The assertion that civilisation in general, and the city in particular, was bad for mankind became commonplace. Once the city had been the Image of civilisation; under the impact of industrialisation, it became the symbol of man's failure to shape his world. Yet other views did emerge. Exhilarated by the crowded city and the power of technology, artists, poets, and more recently photographers and film-makers, have created a different image, one that is very persuasive and still has the power to moderate our doubts about city life. The speaker is Norbert Lynton, Professor of History and Theory of Art, University of Sussex.
The aim of the programme is to show how, out of the industrialised cities of the 19th century, artists and poets of modern times have created a positive and enthusiastic image of city life. In the ...17th and 18th centuries, artists, as well as philosophers and poets, had little doubt as to the identity of city and civilisation. But the later 18th Century brought a sudden and total rejection of the serene and joyous city image. The assertion that civilisation in general, and the city in particular, was bad for mankind became commonplace. Once the city had been the Image of civilisation; under the impact of industrialisation, it became the symbol of man's failure to shape his world. Yet other views did emerge. Exhilarated by the crowded city and the power of technology, artists, poets, and more recently photographers and film-makers, have created a different image, one that is very persuasive and still has the power to moderate our doubts about city life. The speaker is Norbert Lynton, Professor of History and Theory of Art, University of Sussex.
