Title: Creating the countryside : the rural idyll past and present /
Authors: Elson, Verity,; Shirley, Rosemary,; Compton Verney (Gallery),
Year: 2017
Subjects: Landscapes in art; Rural conditions in art; Art, British Themes, motives.
Abstract: "The rural idyll occupies a deeply rooted place in the collective imagination. This highly original and vibrant study examines how key moments in art history have shaped our understanding of the British countryside and how contemporary artists continue to access and often challenge this concept. From High Art to propaganda, garden centres to air fresheners, contemporary art to computer games – a constellation of powerful images and ideas contribute to our understandings of the rural. This publication offers new ways of thinking about how ideas of the countryside have been formed and how they are reflected in contemporary culture, through the innovative integration of historic works by artists including Constable, Gainsborough and Stubbs, works of modern British art, together with contemporary responses to rural life and landscape by artists such as Mat Collishaw, Grayson Perry, Anna Fox and Alison Goldfrapp. Crucially, this volume enters this rich array of artworks into a productive dialogue with a range of visual cultures that populate everyday life, exploring how the imagery of the rural idyll is re-enacted, adapted and used today.