Thingvellir (1897) by the British painter William Collingwood (1819-1903). Collingwood was a well known watercolor landscape painter and depicted here the Althing (Alþingi) in medieval Iceland, which was probably the oldest parliament in Europe. I think that it’s intentional how people and tents are integrated into the landscape, so that this archaic democratic tradition becomes part of it.
Massacre in Brazil today, by Tom Phillips
15 hours ago
Collingwood was good, wasn't he? I love reading history from art, as if the art was a text. Of course the artist may use some fanciful images in his/her work, but then so do chronicle writers. We have to read all primary sources very carefully.
ReplyDeleteCollingwood was good indeed. I like especially that he stayed away from that heroic shit which was so fashionable at his time.
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