A selfie with your best friend is nothing new. This talk explores friendship in early modern Europe (1400-1800) through portrait painting. We’ll see the personalities and relationships of Europeans in art and come to understand why they wanted to be painted together. The act of making an image that connected people was a powerful declaration of personal connection. The talk will look at different subcategories of the portrait to explore the many facets of friendship: from diplomatic agreements to brotherly and romantic love, souvenirs of a good-time-had-by-all and dedications of devotion. We’ll gain insight into how some historic people built their friendship networks, sometimes profoundly shaping history in the process. The purpose is to see how much or little we have changed in relationship to how we desire to build and sustain friendship.

Please, note:

• the total duration of the event is 1 hour ( ~ 50mins lecture and 10mins Q&A)
• the talk doesn’t require any prior training and anyone can join
• This event will be recorded: the video will be available in 3-5 days after the talk
• Guests can access all videos at a small fee; videos for members are free of charge
• if you wish to become a member – please, learn about our membership plans

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SPEAKER – SARAH JAFFRAY

Sarah Jaffray holds a BA and MA in Art History with an emphasis in 19th/20th century France and a minor in the Italian Renaissance. She holds a second MA in Cultural Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London. Sarah was a lecturer for several colleges and universities in the Los Angeles area before relocating to London in 2012. She has worked in curatorial roles at the British Museum and Wellcome Collection. Sarah is currently a lecturer at the University of Arts London and Coordinator for City Lit’s Art History programme. Her art historical practice focuses on experimental narratives, artistic process, art pedagogy, politics and philosophy. Sarah’s current research is focused on translation and empathy.

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