Painting the Present From David to Warhol

Why It Matters

Understanding this shift shows how art became a medium for contemporary politics and public persuasion, shaping historical memory and cultural debate—a dynamic with clear parallels to media and visual culture today.

Summary

At a Met Museum public lecture, curator and historian Kathryn Calley Galitz traced the evolution of history painting from mid-18th century grand narratives to a new focus on contemporary events—from Benjamin West and John Singleton Copley’s dramatized battlefield scenes to 19th-century works by Paul Delaroche and others. Galitz highlighted how artists reshaped the genre to respond to revolutions, wars and political crises, often blending factual events with artistic license to serve patriotic or propagandistic purposes. She framed the shift as a lasting revolution in how painters depicted current life, arguing that these works retain powerful visual and moral resonance through the 20th century. The talk is part of the Met’s “Making History” series exploring history painting’s changing identity.

Original Description

Part 2 of 3 lectures exploring the evolution of history painting.

Painting the Present from David to Warhol

Discover an eighteenth-century revolution in history painting as artists shifted focus to contemporary events in response to rapid political and social change.

Kathryn Calley Galitz, art historian and managing museum educator

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