• John Toohey (PhD candidate, Concordia University)

FRED JUDGE'S LANDSCAPES OF FEAR

Among the postcard views of Britain that Fred Judge produced between 1904 and 1924 are scenes that reveal profound shifts in nineteenth century perception of the landscape. Tracts of wilderness that had once been considered dangerous were now popular picnic spots, with little physical change to the site taking place. Other fears, of imminent invasion and of the weather wreaking havoc, have survived. Applying current theories of landscape history relevant to how the landscape has been perceived, we will see that within apparently innocuous images aimed at the tourist market lies evidence of a society's anxieties and vulnerabilities.

• Shana Cooperstein (PhD candidate, McGill University)

HOW BUBBLES GAINES CURRENCY: REALISM, PERCEPTION AND SPECULATION IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY BRITAIN

I argue that in eighteenth-century Britain, bubbles became a metaphor referring both to the fatuous and deceptive. Satirists often exploited the ephemeral, allusive nature of these phenomena to symbolize delusion, or a species of mere appearance that only fools mistake for substance. Thus, this paper maps a particular domain of the symbolic as this concerns representations of the deceit and cunning capable of capturing and misleading the popular imagination. Overall, I reveal how the characteristics of bubbles, such as that they are reflective, wet and generate ephemeral and optical illusions, allowed them to serve as a way to thing about particular operations of the intellect and imagination, and became a signifier for financial speculation.

Président | Chair : DANIEL FISET (3e cycle, Université de Montréal)

• • • CONFÉRENCES HYPOTHESES SYMPOSIA • • •

Hypothèses est une série de conférences mensuelles, organisée par et pour les étudiants des cycles supérieurs en histoire de l’art des quatre universités montréalaises. La formule, développée depuis 2011 à l’Université de Montréal, vise à stimuler la relève en histoire de l’art à Montréal, diffuser les recherches émergentes dans la discipline, tout en encourageant les interactions entre le milieu académique et tous les publics. Les rencontres ont lieu un mercredi par mois, de septembre 2014 à avril 2015, à partir de 16h, au Salon du Musée des beaux-arts (pavillon Jean-Noël Desmarais, niveau 2). Bienvenue à tous !

Hypotheses is an Art History symposium series, organized by and for students (master’s and doctoral) from Montreal universities. Its goal is to promote and disseminate emerging research in the discipline. The program, first developed at the University of Montreal in 2011, encourages discussion and debate between young researchers across institutional boundaries, acts as a platform for discussion and reflection, and encourages cross-fertilization of ideas between academia, the museum community, and the public at large. Symposia are held monthly on Wednesdays, from September, 2014, to April, 2015, in the Lounge of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion, level 2). Welcome to all !