Edward Lear at Sestri Levante: Topographical Art As a Source for Landscape History With Professor Ross Balzaretti

This illustrated talk will examine the historical significance of Edward Lear's drawings in and around the small town of Sestri Levante, on the Italian Riviera. Lear’s trip in this region came at a significant point in his life in May 1860, as he had just left Rome for the final time, having fallen out of love with the city. Although he considered publishing a journal as he had done for his trips to Albania and Calabria, this Ligurian trip has barely been mentioned by his numerous biographers.

The drawings he made show this part of the Italian Riviera before it was changed by the railway, and later motorways. They provide a coherent record of this part of the coast, seen by one man between 14 and 23 May 1860. Lear’s work can be compared with earlier and later artistic representations.

Ross Balzaretti is a Professor of Italian History at the University of Nottingham.

This talk is part of the University of Nottingham's History Festival. To find out more, visit our web page: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/humanities/departments/history/news-and-events/history-festival.aspx