Lecture Series: The Story of Art | The Age of Reason and Revolution: From Academic to Realism
Description
Bassam Freiha Art Foundation continues its monthly lecture series, The Story of Art, with the upcoming session The Age of Reason and Revolution: From Academic to Realism, examining a transformative moment in European art shaped by political upheaval, intellectual awakening, and changing social ideals. Led by Dr. Michaela Watrelot, the lecture focuses on the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when artists began to question authority, tradition, and the role of art in society.
Through an in-depth visual exploration of works by Jacques-Louis David, Eugène Delacroix, Francisco Goya, and J. M. W. Turner, the session traces the gradual shift from academic tradition toward more expressive, emotionally charged, and socially engaged forms of painting. These artists redefined how art could respond to revolution, power, resistance, and the emergence of the modern individual.
The lecture invites audiences to reflect on how moments of crisis and change give rise to new visual languages, revealing art’s capacity to mirror social transformation and human experience.
As the first lecture of the year, this session continues The Story of Art’s ongoing journey through defining chapters in art history, reinforcing the Foundation’s commitment to accessible art education, critical thinking, and meaningful cultural dialogue.
Speaker
Dr. Michaela Watrelot
Dr. Michaela Watrelot is a curator, educator, and author with a PhD in History of Art from Charles University in Prague. At Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, she leads exhibition planning, education, and strategic partnerships. Her expertise spans 19th- and 20th-century art, public art commissions, and art market studies, and she is the author of Wilhelm von Bode and the American Art Market: The Rudolphe Kann Collection (Routledge, 2023).