Byron's work in 19th century art

Byron's work in 19th century art, a talk by Vincenzo Patanè on thursday 5 Decenber at 5 p.m.

In the 19th century, at least two generations of major artists felt compelled to confront and re-present Lord Byron's poems, alongside the works of art that directly glorified him. These works – in particular the etchings, which were used to adorn different editions of his poetry, as well as paintings – today constitute an immense body of work. They played a fundamental role in acquainting readers with Byron’s work, but more importantly they provided tangible evidence of the rich, comprehensive interaction between figurative art and Byron’s poetry. Furthermore, they are the demonstration of how these poems lend themselves perfectly to a form of ekphrasis, where the written word is translated into the visual arts.

Please note that this event will be in Italian.

Admission is Free but booking is required due to the limited number of seats (write to info@keats-shelley-house.org). Entry from 4:45 p.m. onwards.

The event will also be streamed via Zoom. If you'd like to attend online, please send us an email and we'll share the link with you.

Vincenzo Patanè, teacher of Art History in Venice, is the author of numerous essays on art, cinema, literature. On Lord Byron he published L’estate di un ghiro. Il mito di Lord Byron (2013, second edition 2018, Premio Montale Fuori di Casa 2020), I frutti acerbi. Lord Byron, gli amori & il sesso (2016, released in English in 2019 as The Sour Fruit. Lord Byron, Love & Sex), Intervista impossibile & altri saggi (2022) and Il rovinismo di Lord Byron nell’opera di Marco Filiberti (2024).