Background
Diana Donald was born on June 3, 1938, in Guildford, United Kingdom. She is the daughter of Charles, an advertising manager, and Muriel (Tucker) Butler, a homemaker.
(The late eighteenth century in England was the first grea...)
The late eighteenth century in England was the first great age of cartooning, and English caricature prints of the period have long been enjoyed for their humor and vitality. Now Diana Donald presents the first major study of these caricatures, which challenges many assumptions about them. She shows that they were a widely disseminated form of political expression and propaganda as subtle and eloquent as the written word. Donald analyzes the meanings of the prints, applying current perspectives on the eighteenth century about the changing roles of women and constructions of gender, the alleged rise of a consumer society, the growth of political awareness outside aristocratic circles, and the problems of defining "class" values in the later Georgian era. She discusses, for example, the social position of the Georgian satirist within the hierarchy of high and low art production; the relation between the shifting styles of political prints and the antagonisms of different political cultures; caricatures of fashion as expressions of ambivalent attitudes to luxury and "high society"; treatment of the crowd in the prints and the light this sheds on the myth of the freeborn Englishman; and what caricatures reveal about British reactions to the French Revolution in the 1790s. Donald concludes by describing the demise of the Georgian satirical print in the early nineteenth century, which she attributes in part to the new and urgent political purposes of radicals in the post-Napoleonic era. Illustrated with works by Gillray, Rowlandson, and other artists, many of which have never been published before, the book will be an enlightening and enjoyable reference for scholars and the general reader. The late eighteenth century in England was the first great age of cartooning, and English caricature prints of the period have long been enjoyed for their humor and vitality. Now Diana Donald presents the first major study of these caricatures, which challenges many assumptions about them. She shows that they were a widely disseminated form of political expression and propaganda as subtle and eloquent as the written word. Donald analyzes the meanings of the prints, applying current perspectives on the eighteenth century about the changing roles of women and constructions of gender, the alleged rise of a consumer society, the growth of political awareness outside aristocratic circles, and the problems of defining "class" values in the later Georgian era. She discusses, for example, the social position of the Georgian satirist within the hierarchy of high and low art production; the relation between the shifting styles of political prints and the antagonisms of different political cultures; caricatures of fashion as expressions of ambivalent attitudes to luxury and "high society"; treatment of the crowd in the prints and the light this sheds on the myth of the freeborn Englishman; and what caricatures reveal about British reactions to the French Revolution in the 1790s. Donald concludes by describing the demise of the Georgian satirical print in the early nineteenth century, which she attributes in part to the new and urgent political purposes of radicals in the post-Napoleonic era. Illustrated with works by Gillray, Rowlandson, and other artists, many of which have never been published before, the book will be an enlightening and enjoyable reference for scholars and the general reader.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300071787/?tag=2022091-20
1996
(The Art of Thomas Bewick is the first book to interpret t...)
The Art of Thomas Bewick is the first book to interpret the art of the wood engraver Thomas Bewick (1753–1828) and set it in the context of history, revealing the connections between Bewick’s political and religious views—reflections of the late eighteenth-century Enlightenment—and the character of his images. Bewick was both an important contributor to the history of British ornithology and a highly original artist and printmaker. His depictions of the natural world, particularly of British birds, set new standards of realism and authenticity, while his graphic scenes of country life were unparalleled in their thoughtfulness, mingling humor and tragedy. His lively depictions of dogs, horses and other animals can also be seen as the expression of a new insight and sensibility: part of the growing movement for the prevention of cruelty to animals. Allowing Bewick’s art to be viewed in a broad context of the artistic and scientific culture of his age, this lavishly illustrated book will appeal to naturalists, especially ornithologists and birdwatchers; historians of science, art and country life; those interested in the history of animal rights and protection; and students of painting and print media. The Art of Thomas Bewick is the first book to interpret the art of the wood engraver Thomas Bewick (1753–1828) and set it in the context of history, revealing the connections between Bewick’s political and religious views—reflections of the late eighteenth-century Enlightenment—and the character of his images. Bewick was both an important contributor to the history of British ornithology and a highly original artist and printmaker. His depictions of the natural world, particularly of British birds, set new standards of realism and authenticity, while his graphic scenes of country life were unparalleled in their thoughtfulness, mingling humor and tragedy. His lively depictions of dogs, horses and other animals can also be seen as the expression of a new insight and sensibility: part of the growing movement for the prevention of cruelty to animals. Allowing Bewick’s art to be viewed in a broad context of the artistic and scientific culture of his age, this lavishly illustrated book will appeal to naturalists, especially ornithologists and birdwatchers; historians of science, art and country life; those interested in the history of animal rights and protection; and students of painting and print media.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1780231091/?tag=2022091-20
2013
(From fine art paintings by such artists as Stubbs and Lan...)
From fine art paintings by such artists as Stubbs and Landseer to zoological illustrations and popular prints, a vast array of animal images was created in Britain during the century from 1750 to 1850. This highly original book investigates the rich meanings of these visual representations as well as the ways in which animals were actually used and abused. What Diana Donald discovers in this fascinating study is a deep and unresolved ambivalence that lies at the heart of human attitudes toward animals. The author brings to light dichotomies in human thinking about animals throughout this key period: awestruck with the beauty and spirit of wild animals, people nevertheless desired to capture and tame them; the belief that other species are inferior was firmly held, yet at the same time animals in stories and fables were given human attributes; though laws against animal cruelty were introduced, the overworking of horses and the allure of sport hunting persisted. Animals are central in cultural history, Donald concludes, and compelling questions about themthen and nowremain unanswered. From fine art paintings by such artists as Stubbs and Landseer to zoological illustrations and popular prints, a vast array of animal images was created in Britain during the century from 1750 to 1850. This highly original book investigates the rich meanings of these visual representations as well as the ways in which animals were actually used and abused. What Diana Donald discovers in this fascinating study is a deep and unresolved ambivalence that lies at the heart of human attitudes toward animals. The author brings to light dichotomies in human thinking about animals throughout this key period: awestruck with the beauty and spirit of wild animals, people nevertheless desired to capture and tame them; the belief that other species are inferior was firmly held, yet at the same time animals in stories and fables were given human attributes; though laws against animal cruelty were introduced, the overworking of horses and the allure of sport hunting persisted. Animals are central in cultural history, Donald concludes, and compelling questions about themthen and nowremain unanswered.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300126794/?tag=2022091-20
educator psychotherapist writer
Diana Donald was born on June 3, 1938, in Guildford, United Kingdom. She is the daughter of Charles, an advertising manager, and Muriel (Tucker) Butler, a homemaker.
Donald studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959. She went back to university at the age of 54, and started a whole new life, beginning her writing activity.
Donald became a head of Department of History of Art and Design in Manchester Metropolitan University in 1986. Next year she served as a visiting fellow at Center for British Art of Yale University. Three years later she worked as a professor of art history and design. During 1996 she was working as a panelist at Higher Education Funding Council.
Donald began her writing career at the age of 54.
(The Art of Thomas Bewick is the first book to interpret t...)
2013(From fine art paintings by such artists as Stubbs and Lan...)
(The late eighteenth century in England was the first grea...)
1996Donald is a fellow of Royal Society of Arts, Association of Art Historians, British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies.
Quotes from others about the person
"I came to research and publication late in my career, which has been interrupted by family responsibilities. An avid interest in eighteenth-century history combined with my interest in the history of cartooning produced The Age of Caricature, which was the result of about ten years of thought on the subject. I found it surprising that caricaturists as brilliant as Gillroy and Row-landson should have been so little discussed and interpreted, and I went back to the earliest commentaries on their prints and to other primary records of the period in order to gain insight into contemporary attitudes and responses to their work."
“My principal aim is to understand the characteristics of visual art in a historical and political light, and I enjoy working between disciplines and across a broad cultural field. I am now embarking on research, on attitudes to the animal kingdom from about 1750 to 1830, which will embrace aspects such as natural history and science, exploration, the history of reforming movements and humane societies, and will attempt to relate these to visual expression and style in paintings, prints, and scientific illustrations.”
Donald married Trevor Donald on February 9, 1963, they have 2 children: Paul Frederick and Alice Penelope.