THE POLITICS of CATASTROPHE in the ART of JOHN MARTIN, FRANCIS DANBY, and DAVID ROBERTS by Christopher J
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APOCALYPTIC PROGRESS: THE POLITICS OF CATASTROPHE IN THE ART OF JOHN MARTIN, FRANCIS DANBY, AND DAVID ROBERTS By Christopher James Coltrin A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History of Art) in the University of Michigan 2011 Doctoral Committee: Professor Susan L. Siegfried, Chair Professor Alexander D. Potts Associate Professor Howard G. Lay Associate Professor Lucy Hartley ©Christopher James Coltrin 2011 For Elizabeth ii Acknowledgements This dissertation represents the culmination of hundreds of people and thousands of hours spent on my behalf throughout the course of my life. From the individuals who provided the initial seeds of inspiration that fostered my general love of learning, to the scholars who helped with the very specific job of crafting of my argument, I have been the fortunate recipient of many gifts of goodness. In retrospect, it would be both inaccurate and arrogant for me to claim anything more than a minor role in producing this dissertation. Despite the cliché, the individuals that I am most deeply indebted to are my two devoted parents. Both my mother and father spent the majority of their lives setting aside their personal interests to satisfy those of their children. The love, stability, and support that I received from them as a child, and that I continue to receive today, have always been unconditional. When I chose to pursue academic interests that seemingly lead into professional oblivion, I probably should have questioned what my parents would think about my choice, but I never did. Not because their opinions didn‟t matter to me, but because I knew that they would support me regardless. My mother‟s devotion and assistance in everything I did during my youth allowed me to experience and accomplish many more things than I ever could have done alone. My father‟s role was more pointed but no less crucial. He repeatedly emphasized the importance of education during my childhood never allowed me to envision a future without it. And while I‟m not sure it iii was carefully planned this way, even our household‟s devotion to college football caused me to decide at a very young age to work hard in school so that someday I could sit in the student section of Cougar Stadium. In both large and small ways, my parents created a home that encouraged me, guided me, and allowed me to pursue the path that lead to this point. During my time as an undergraduate there were some key individuals that helped expand my desire to learn and to teach. Ted and Patricia Bair helped me through the most formative time in my life, and along the way made me realize how much I enjoyed gaining knowledge and figuring ways to help others do the same. Ted Bair is still one of the two greatest teachers I have ever sat before, and without his example I am certain I would have taken a different path in life. The other “greatest teacher” on my list is Michael Murdock, a professor who almost single-handedly inspired my love of history. Before taking his class I had not declared a major and wasn‟t sure what to do with my life; after taking his class I had a major and a distinct sense of what I liked doing. Not only did I proceed to take every class he taught, I was fortunate enough to work as his teaching assistant for three years. A large percentage of what I do in the classroom today is directly attributable to watching and listening to Dr. Murdock. The last person who impacted me significantly and pointed me down the pathway of art history was Martha Peacock. Her love for the discipline, her wise counsel, and her caring nature significantly shaped my academic trajectory. Just as importantly, her unflinching confidence in my intellectual abilities helped sustain me when I or others were less confident in them. Beyond those who helped shape my path in life toward academia and art history are the numerous institutions and individuals who enabled the research and writing that iv went directly into this dissertation. I have been the generous recipient of financial assistance from a number of sources, each of which allowed me to focus my efforts and accomplish my task. The majority of the research was conducted while on a Rackham Humanities Research Fellowship funded by the Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan and awarded by the History of Art Department. Most of the writing was performed as a fellow at the University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities, an amazing organization that not only provided financial assistance, but created a community of diverse scholars that I had the pleasure of communing with on a weekly basis. I want to particularly thank the donors to the Institute and who have made such an amazing idea become a reality. Possibly the single most productive period in the past three years was spent during two months in the summer of 2009 while on a fellowship at the Yale Center for British Art. This program, much like the Institute for the Humanities, not only provided financial support but also created a small but distinguished community of scholars. The constant exposure to the extraordinary intellectual abilities of Joanne O‟Hara, Amy Von Lintell, and Philip Lindley inevitably rubbed off on me to some extent, but their kindness and friendship was perhaps even more valuable. I am extremely grateful to Yale University and the donors of the Yale Center for British Art for facilitating such a great experience. My work has relied heavily on the collections and the assistance provided to me at numerous libraries and museums. I would like the thank the staff members at the British Library, the Newspaper reading room at Colindale, the National Art Library in the Victorian and Albert Museum, , the Newberry Library, the University of Michigan Fine Arts Library, the Yale Center for British Art, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript v Library at Yale, and the Brigham Young University Library. I am also indebted to the kindness and help of staff members at numerous museums including Tate Britain, The Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, The York Art Gallery, and the Birmingham Museum of Art. A special thanks to the Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston and the print and drawing room at the Yale Center for British Art, both of which allowed me to photograph works of art in their collections. Without those photographs and the details they revealed I never would have been able to properly analyze some of the crucial works of art in this dissertation. I am enormously indebted to numerous faculty members at both the University of Michigan and Brigham Young University who assisted in my training as an art historian. Heather Jensen, Mark Magleby, Campbell Gray, David Doris, Celeste Brusati, Betsy Sears, Megan Holmes, Tom Willette, Sussan Babaie, and Jonathan Sheehan all have assisted in various ways during this project. Their time spent on my behalf is something I will always be grateful for and will try to emulate in my professional career. In most direct relation to the dissertation, I am very thankful to those who served on my dissertation committee. Alex Potts provided a number of crucial insights into my work and helped me gain confidence in the merit and substance of it. Lucy Hartley was kind enough to assist a graduate student she had never before met, and I feel very fortunate that I was able to benefit from her keen insights, particularly into the intricacies of the history and politics of the early nineteenth century in Britain. Howard Lay added a very different, yet no less valuable perspective on the material, and I‟m thankful he was willing to be on my committee even though the paintings I deal with are not of the sort he tends to spend his time with. And I also need to thank him for the brief, yet soothing vi sports-related conversations we have had over the years (a rarity in the world of art history). My most sincere thanks go to my advisor Susan Siegfried. The best parts of what is written in these pages are representative of her mind and effort. It never ceased to amaze me the amount of time she must have spent reading and commenting on my work. She provided a large quantity of feedback and I was constantly impressed with its depth, intelligence, and overall quality. As a graduate student at BYU I heard numerous stories about faculty advisors who prohibited the progression of their PhD students because they were unwilling to devote their time to their student‟s work, and I made the decision to come to Michigan based largely on my belief that with Susan as my advisor that would not be the case. She has never disappointed me in this regard and I am immensely grateful for her sacrifices on my behalf. I hope that during my career as a teacher I can live up to the standard that she has set and be as devoted to my students‟ interests as she has been to mine. Thank you Susan. Finally, the most instrumental people in my life for the past decade have been my wife Elizabeth and my four children, William, Isaac, Elijah, and McKay. They have provided me with the inspiration and motivation I required during my time in graduate school. Will inspires me with his passion, his kindness, and his ability to acknowledge obstacles yet cease to be fazed by them.