Call for Papers

CONFERENCE: Saturday 20 November 2010
VENUE: Richmond, the American International University in London, UK

Proposals of approx.250 words due by 1 July to: woloshyn.taniagmail.com

2010 marks the centenary of the death of Neo-Impressionist Henri-Edmond
Cross (1856-1910) as well as the release of a new book of collected
essays which re-evaluate the work of Georges Seurat (1859-1891),
'Seurat Re-Viewed' (edited by Paul Smith; published by Penn State Press,
2010). It is therefore a fitting time to reconsider the artistic
production and contextual themes around Neo-Impressionism, a much
maligned movement that has often been described as a series of artistic,
political and scientific failures. Its new direction after the death of
Seurat in 1891, under the self-declared leadership of Paul Signac
(1863-1935), has been posited less as a renewal towards alternative but
equally radical luminous experiments than a progressive degeneration
from its original conception.

Specifically, the works of Cross, Signac and Théo van Rysselberghe
(1862-1926) produced along the Côte d'Azur during the 1890s and early
1900s deserve new academic attention as more than merely utopic or
escapist visions set in 'holiday' landscapes. This conference proposes
to bring together emerging and established scholars of Neo-Impressionism
for an exciting reappraisal of its history within the heart of London at
an international, bilingual conference at Richmond, the American
International University in London.

Proposed themes and topics include, but are not limited to, the
following:
- The work of individual artists or colleagues, such as: Paul Signac,
Georges Seurat, Henri-Edmond Cross, Théo van Rysselberghe, Albert
Dubois-Pillet, Camille Pissarro, Lucien Pissarro, Maximilien Luce,
Charles Angrand, Félix Fénéon, etc
- Neo-Impressionism and Anarcho-Communism, in the North and the South of
France, including the ideas of Peter Kropotkin, Elisée Reclus, Elie
Reclus, Paul Reclus, Elie Faure, and Jean Grave
- Art and Science, colour theory and 'optical painting'
- Utopias and anti-utopias, countryside and cityscape
- Exhibition practices, strategies and marketing of the Société des
Artistes Indépendants and the Neo-Impressionist Boutique, as well as
through private commissions (e.g. Count Harry Kessler)
- The 'end' of Neo-Impressionism?

Conference organisers: Professor Robert Wallis (Richmond), Professor
Anthea Callen (University of Nottingham) and Dr Tania Woloshyn (McGill)