Charles Hope and his critical essay on the literary sources “for the growth of public interest in painting”. A case study

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyse the development process of the growth of public interest in painting in the historical period included between the 15th and the 19th centuries, building on the critical essay by art historian and Warburg Institute former director Charles Hope. The phenomenon of dissemination of artistic knowledge in the timeframe considered will be illustrated through an in-depth study of the literary sources that contributed to increasing the interest of the non-expert public, a public not involved in either the production or purchase of artworks, for the artistic disciplines and for painting in particular. After a biographical section devoted to the figure of Hope, the dissertation will be divided into three chronologically ordered chapters: a first chapter will be devoted to the study of the first literary sources of an artistic nature, following Hope's critical methodology, up to the diffusion of art guidebooks in Renaissance Italy. The second chapter will explore a new type of publication appeared in the 17th century, namely the first catalogues to collections of paintings in Europe, in correspondence with the beginning of artistic tourism. The third and final chapter will focus specifically on the artistic value of modern catalogues and on the educational role of modern museums for the public until the 19th century. The primary sources for this study will be first editions of Renaissance manuscripts and critical studies by contemporary scholars.