Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation!
This series tells the story of a Victorian Art phenomenon, the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. This exuberant band of sensationally talented artists exploded onto the scene in the 1840s, determined to rip up the rulebook and conventions of the British Art establishment and create their own slice of Art history. The rule book was well and truly tossed away when it came to their private lives as well – sex, scandals, affairs, addiction, prostitutes and digging up dead bodies – and that’s just for starters!
In this episode we continue the story of William Holman Hunt, the third of our triumvirate of Pre-Raphaelite big-hitters. Hunt was a deeply religious and spiritual man who was said to be the one true Pre-Raphaelite, in that his art stuck rigidly to the pre-Raphaelite ethos through his long life and career. However, if you think all of that means nothing interesting occurred in his personal life, then think again – personal tragedy, extortion, dubious life choices and a highly controversial marriage all make for an entertaining listen.
Links to artworks discussed in this episode:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hireling_Shepherd
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hunt-our-english-coasts-1852-strayed-sheep-n05665
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hunt-the-awakening-conscience-t02075
https://www.stpauls.co.uk/light-of-world-by-william-holman-hunt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scapegoat_(painting)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Finding_of_the_Saviour_in_the_Temple
Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ (available exclusively at Amazon).
Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor.
If you really enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. If you absolutely love hysterical figures and want to contribute financially to future content, then that’s great but this is very much a hobby for Sam and he doesn’t have a patreon or kofi page! However, he would love you to donate to his justgiving page to support the red cross’s efforts to help the people of Ukraine suffering the devastating effects of war.
The link for this is: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hystericalfigures
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