The Arts Society Lecture - ‘Gordon of Khartoum’

The lecture will be looking at the work, ‘Gordon of Khartoum’ by George William Joy and discussing how a single painting defied the critics to inspire the nation.
The subject of the painting is General Gordon being slaughtered by the Mahdi’s dervishes on the steps of the Governor’s Palace in Khartoum. The painting was ignored by critics and dismissed as inaccurate by scholars. Despite such indifference during the next century Joy’s depiction of a heroic officer battling ‘natives’ was reproduced again and again. It has become well known in books and films. It should be an interesting historical view given by Max Jones who is currently writing a new history of British Heroes. He’s a former director of studies in History at Christ’s College Cambridge, now a lecturer at the University of Manchester