Art and landscape history: British artists in nineteenth-century Val d’Aosta (NW Italy)

Piana, Pietro, Watkins, Charles and Balzaretti, Ross (2018) Art and landscape history: British artists in nineteenth-century Val d’Aosta (NW Italy). Landscape History . ISSN 2160-2506 (In Press)

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Abstract

This paper explores the value of landscape and topographical art for understanding contemporary landscapes of the Val d’Aosta, NW Italy. The region became very popular with British tourists in the early nineteenth-century and several amateur and professional artists depicted its landscapes. The paper focuses on the case study of Saint-Pierre, its castle and the surrounding landscapes, examining views by amateur artists like Elizabeth Fortescue and professionals such as John Brett. The examination of art, alongside written accounts, historical cartography and field data, provides insights into the landscape history of the Val d’Aosta. The analysis of the artists’ representations raises questions of landscape identity and characterisation and provides evidence for subtle changes in local land use practices which have had a significant impact on land use change. We suggest that this artistic heritage should be recognized as a source to help improve sustainable tourism in the area and to assist in the development of current land management policies.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: Landscape Change, Aosta, Alpine landscape, Topography, Elizabeth Fortescue, John Brett
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Arts > School of Humanities > Department of History
University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Geography
Depositing User: Eprints, Support
Date Deposited: 17 Apr 2018 09:34
Last Modified: 17 Oct 2019 04:30
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/51198

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