Painting the real world: David Jackson on The Wanderers

David Jackson, Professor of Russian & Scandinavian Art Histories, is giving a public lecture at Tennants Auction House, Leyburn, on 26 September as part of a fundraising event for Cancer Research.

David’s talk will centre on the late Tsarist Russian Art School known as the Wanderers. Established in the face of autocratic restrictions and state censorship, the Wanderers turned away from academic conventions to paint the real world around them: the hard lives of the peasantry, the fate of political activists, Russian history, landscapes and portraits of the nation’s cultural elite, such as Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. This copiously illustrated talk will focus on the crucial role they played in developing Russia’s first, most successful and genuinely popular school of art.

The Tsarist Russian Art School has been a central focus of much of Professor Jackson’s research. He has written a number of books on the subject and curated exhibitions across Europe, the most recent being The Peredvizhniki Pioneers of Russian Painting at Stockholm's National Gallery and the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Germany (Peredvizhniki is the Russian term for the Wanderers).

Professor Jackson, of the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds, said of his talk:

‘I am delighted to be giving this lecture in Leyburn for Cancer Research and hope it meets its aim of raising as much as possible for a very worthy cause. The Wanderers are a particular specialism of mine and I am looking forward to bringing lesser known art to a wider public.’

Becky Duff, of Bedale Cancer Research, said:

‘I heard Professor David Jackson give a lecture at Ripley Castle. He was very good and made the lecture interesting and amusing. We are very grateful to David for joining us as speaker at our upcoming fundraising event this month.

‘It is vitally important to raise money for cancer research. It affects so many people. Over the years the treatment has changed and improved enormously but there is still further to go.’

The event on the 26 September includes wine and canapés at 6pm, with the talk starting at 7pm (followed by supper). Tickets for the event are strictly limited but can still be obtained by applying to: Mrs C.E.A Duff, The Mill, Constable Burton, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5RQ. Please enclose a cheque for £25 per ticket payable to Bedale Cancer Research and a stamped addressed envelope.