“Unboxing the Canon” takes a closer look at the history of Western art. We might be seduced by the pretty packaging, such as soft brush strokes, brilliant colours, grand gestures, expert carving, even traditional iconography. But what happens when we take a deeper look? When we open the packaging and see what might have been invisible, or what is a cultural blind spot? Join Professor Linda Steer and listen in for a take on art history that connects the past to the present, critiques the canon, and reveals what might not be immediately apparent in Western art and its institutions.
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“Unboxing the Canon” takes a closer look at the history of Western art. We might be seduced by the pretty packaging, such as soft brush strokes, brilliant colours, grand gestures, expert carving, even traditional iconography. But what happens when we take a deeper look? When we open the packaging and see what might have been invisible, or what is a cultural blind spot? Join Professor Linda Steer and listen in for a take on art history that connects the past to the present, critiques the canon, and reveals what might not be immediately apparent in Western art and its institutions.
This episode takes a look at the history of monuments and examines some of the issues surrounding monuments today. It considers the history of the Robert E Lee monument Richmond Virginia, its signification in relation to the history of equestrian sculptures, and considers its role now.
The removal of confederate statues in the American South is part of a worldwide movement to confront the violent legacy of colonialism, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the attempted genocide of Indigenous people, and other atrocities committed by Europeans and settlers. In the wake of the #blm movement and the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation of Canada, this episode asks: what should we do with these monuments now?
Dr. Steer examines several options and their implications, such as putting the monuments in a museum or park, contextualizing them, creating new monuments and new works of art, destroying the monuments, or leaving them as is.
Sources + further reading:
artnet news. “Tear Down the Confederate Monuments—But What Next? 12 Art Historians and Scholars on the Way Forward.” artnet news. August 23, 2017. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/confederate-monuments-experts-1058411.
“Equestrian Sculpture of Marcus Aurelius – Smarthistory.” Smarthistory. Accessed September 21, 2020. https://smarthistory.org/equestrian-sculpture-of-marcus-aurelius/.
France-Amérique. “The French Origin of Robert E. Lee’s Statue in Virginia.” France-Amérique, June 25, 2020. https://france-amerique.com/the-french-origin-of-robert-e-lees-statue-in-virginia/.
“Jen Reid: Bristol Black Lives Matter Statue Removed.” BBC News, July 16, 2020, sec. Bristol. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-53427014.
“Leopold II: Belgium ‘wakes up’ to Its Bloody Colonial Past.” BBC News, June 12, 2020, sec. Europe. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53017188.
“Musée d’Orsay: Antonin Mercié David.” Musée d’Orsay website. Accessed September 16, 2020. https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/sculpture/commentaire_id/david-331.html?cHash=0ab0a872c7.
“Sights | Memento Park Budapest.” Accessed September 16, 2020. http://www.mementopark.hu/pages/sights/.
Squires, Camille. “Defend History. Tear down the Confederate Statues.” Mother Jones (blog). Accessed September 21, 2020. https://www.motherjones.com/anti-racism-police-protest/2020/07/confederate-monuments-iconoclasm/.
Tait, Allison Anna. “Dead White Men Get Their Say in Court as Virginia Tries to Remove Robert E. Lee Statues.” The Conversation. Accessed September 21, 2020. http://theconversation.com/dead-white-men-get-their-say-in-court-as-virginia-tries-to-remove-robert-e-lee-statues-140813.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. 2015. http://www.trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf
Credits
Unboxing the Canon is hosted and produced by Linda Steer for her course “Introduction to the History of Western Art” in the Department of Visual Arts at Brock University. Brock University is located on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples.
Our sound designer and editor is Devin Dempsey, who is also reading these credits. Our logo was created by Cherie Michels. The music for this podcast has been adapted from “Night in Venice” and “Inspired” by Kevin MacLeod. Both are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0.
We are grateful to Alison Innes from the Faculty of Humanities for her sharing her podcasting wisdom and offering support.
This podcast is funded by the Humanities Research Institute at Brock University.
Unboxing the Canon
“Unboxing the Canon” takes a closer look at the history of Western art. We might be seduced by the pretty packaging, such as soft brush strokes, brilliant colours, grand gestures, expert carving, even traditional iconography. But what happens when we take a deeper look? When we open the packaging and see what might have been invisible, or what is a cultural blind spot? Join Professor Linda Steer and listen in for a take on art history that connects the past to the present, critiques the canon, and reveals what might not be immediately apparent in Western art and its institutions.
