“ History that challenges the comfortable assumptions and parochial narratives of shared group identity may be painful but it is also a sign of maturity and wisdom.”
Sir Michael Howard
DRAWING BY ANTHONY RUSSELL
DRAWING OF CHAMBORD BY ANTHONY RUSSELL
BAROQUE FANTASY DESIGNED BY ANTHONY RUSSELL
5) Blenheim Palace – The Agony and the Ecstasy *
* = ‘TRENDING’ !
Possibly the most admired historic English building outside London, Blenheim Palace is an uncompromising World Heritage monument to English military ambition and one family’s self importance. The story of its construction is a fascinating catalogue of excess and outrage, while the result is both monstrous and utterly sublime. But it is in the effect that its perceived spirit has had on consecutive generations of Marlborough’s, that is most revealing. It is also of course, from within this ‘cauldron’ that a Churchill was born, recently voted the “The greatest Britain of all time”. This lecture explores these themes and the characters involved, marvelling at the genius of Vanbrugh and considering the real impact the palace has left on the nation.
PRESENTATION MADE FOR THE ARTS SOCIETY ANNUAL DIRECTORY DAY (2021)
PAINTING BY ANTHONY RUSSELL OF BLENHEIM PALACE’S NORTH FACADE
DETAIL OF A PAINTING BY ANTHONY RUSSELL OF THE GRAND BRIDGE
Australian Articles about the Blenheim Palace Lecture:
