| November 2004
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The Romantic Image |
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Are the romantic images of the past held in mind due to artists representation
of the rural life and reinforced by our own nostalgic notions ? In his books,
Thomas Hardy portrays lives enduring poverty, and yet there is always
the underlying romantic theme of the triumph over hardship.
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The picture is by Helen Allingham and was part of an exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery
'Rosy Cheeks and Harsh Realities'. It features some nostalgic and romanticised
images of the 19th century as well as the harsh realities of rural life.
Manchester Art Gallery.
Helen Allingham painted pictures of idealised cottages and children during the 19th century.
A wide selection of her work can be seen on a website dedicated to her
Helen Allingham.
She also did the illustrations for Thomas Hardy's serialised book "Far from the Madding Crowd".
Illustrations by Helen Allingham.
The realities of life prior to and during the 19th century,
are well documented with drawings at the
BBC History site,
with useful links to further reading.
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Last year I returned to where I had spent part of my life
within a farming community. The place appeared as I had left it as a child. On reflection I had returned to
nostalgic images I had held in mind. The reality was the place no longer had the same "farming" smell,
although the buildings looked the same - perhaps a little smarter. Our memories sanitise and romanticise the past,
aided by works of art and literature. The reality of the process of life past or present is more difficult
to hold on to, we use symbolic images that stay readily in the for front of our minds much like
the thatched cottage.
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