For Immediate Release
November 21, 2022
RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC PROGRAM PRESENTS LECTURE ON VICTORIAN CRITIC JOHN RUSKIN’S WATERCOLOR PRACTICE
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Tuesday, December 6 at 5:30 pm, the Clark Art Institute’s Research and Academic Program hosts a talk by historian Jeremy Melius (University of Oxford / Michael Ann Holly Fellow) that explores the aesthetic and ethical parameters of Victorian critic John Ruskin’s watercolor practice. Ranging over the sheer variety of Ruskin's visual work—from nature studies to architectural fancies to copies after pictures of the past—Melius focuses on Ruskin’s special engagement with his medium, and its ability to suggest things his words could never articulate. The talk, entitled “Ruskin Unpossessed,” takes place in the Clark’s auditorium and is free and open to the public. A reception in the Manton Research Center Reading Room at 5 pm precedes the program.
Jeremy Melius is a historian of modern art and art writing who has published widely on figures such as Walter Pater, Pablo Picasso, and Lee Bontecou, and on topics such as the history of connoisseurship, the afterlife of Botticelli, and the relation between photography and sculpture. His work is often framed by the complex entanglements of word and image, and their consequences for the treatment of visual art as historical evidence. Most recently, Melius was a visiting scholar at Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford in England (2021–22). At the Clark, he is developing a project on Ruskin’s fraught relationship with the practice of art history.
Free; no registration is required. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events.
The next Research and Academic Program lecture is presented by Hilton Als, who explores Diane Arbus in Manhattan. The event takes place on Thursday, December 8 at 5:30 pm.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 285,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday, from September through June, and daily in July and August. Advance tickets are strongly recommended. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
Use of facemasks is optional for all visitors. For details on health and safety protocols, visit clarkart.edu/health.
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