Art History Research · 2026
The Construction of Perception: From Romantic Sublimity to Impressionist Immediacy
How does a painting shape the way we experience what we see?
This research project examines J. M. W. Turner's The Slave Ship (1840) and Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise (1872), exploring how two artists use color, light, atmosphere, and visual instability to shape the viewer's perception. Bringing together formal analysis, historical context, and critical interpretation, the study considers the relationship between artistic representation and the experience of looking.
Rather than treating these paintings simply as representations of their subjects, the project examines how each work constructs an experience for the viewer—one shaped by emotion, atmosphere, and the limits of visual certainty.
