PHAIS Seminar Series Week 5: Dr Alexandra Courtois de Vicose (Art History)

The PHAIS Seminar Series meets weekly in term time to discuss a paper by a visiting Philosopher, Historian, Art Historian or a member of our academic staff.

Marginal Figuration: Non-Normative Bodies as Expressions of Anxiety in Late 19thc. French Visual Culture

Dr Alexandra Courtois de Vicose, University of Exeter

Classical figuration was challenged during the nineteenth century, from the Realism of Courbet to the corporeal disjointedness of Schiele. These vexing representations have since been absorbed into the art historical canon, whereas depictions of non-normative bodies are still understudied, despite their pervasive presence in visual culture. Jean Veber (1864-1928), for instance, centred double-leg amputees in wheeled carts in both easel oil paintings and lithographs. Although his pictorial style borrows from caricature, his scenes often exhibit surprising violence. This talk addresses his depictions of physical disability as an able-bodied man, and explores the socio-political context of their creation to expose links to contemporary anxieties over masculinity, social justice, and European politics.

Biography

Alexandra Courtois’s research draws from disability history to address unexplored facets of late nineteenth-century European visual culture. Her current book project examines Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s oeuvre and life through questions informed by the social model of disability studies; her second scholarly project focuses on the art of French artist Jean Veber (1864-1928), his recurrent depictions of leg amputee figures in both satirical newspaper cartoons and easel paintings and his acerbic commentary on international politics. She has held positions at Kenyon College, NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts, the American University of Paris, and currently teaches at the University of Exeter. Her classes investigate global networks of pictorial expression, politics and culture.  

The seminar will be delivered in person, but a Zoom link will be available for those who wish to attend remotely. Please email phaispg@essex.ac.uk to request the link.