‘There are indeed some
that go abroad merely to eat and sleep: and think if they have been at the
places it is enough for: of this number are generally those that travel young
with governors: who sometimes come home as knowing as they went out’
- George Carpenter, 1717
The Grand Tour was a time of cultural enlightenment for young
wealthy men who went travelling in the early eighteenth century. The Grand Tour
mainly involved trips to the likes of the classical cities such as Paris and
the main Italian cities such as Rome, Venice, Florence and Naples. Primarily
the trips to Italy were to bring back Renaissance art and Italian paintings
which at the time, were highly valued in Britain and were regarded as the best
of their kind.
The British
tourists at this time would often employ painters for a variety of reasons
which are:
·
Portraits
in elevating poses often in classical surroundings
·
Paintings
of places they had seen
·
Reproductions
of paintings that they liked
The image
below is an example of a portrait in classical surroundings, this is similar to
what we would call today ‘Holiday Snaps’, but they often lack the power and
almost arrogant nature of these images.
'Colonel William Gordon of Fyvie' (1736-1816), Pompeo Batoni, 1766
Compared to a modern day holiday photo, there is no drama and no sense of arrogance, the paintings seek to evoke a passion inside us, as though they have been on a great and wonderful journey. Whereas modern photos, are more of a document sense, reminding us that we went there and that's about it.
Cyprus 2006
Notes from: 'The British Abroad: The Grand Tour In The Eighteenth Century', Jeremy Black
Qoute from the same book, sourced from (Bod. Mss. Douce, 67pp. 153-4)
Image 1 from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/colonel-william-gordon-17361816-196521
Image 2 from personal collection
