What role did visual artists play in the emergence and spread of nationalism and a sense of national identity? Focusing on late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century Britain and France, this original study in the historical sociology of nations and nationalism analyses the contributions of artists in these and other West European countries to the creation of memorable images of the abstract concept of the nation. By employing different modes of depiction for conveying moral lessons, evoking the atmosphere of the homeland, and commemorating the fallen in battle, David, Ingres, Turner, Constable, and Friedrich, as well as a host of lesser artists, were able to make the national idea appear palpable and accessible, and the abstract concept of the nation seem 'authentic' and 'real'. After a brief description of the main themes of the visual record of Dutch nation-building in the seventeenth century, Anthony D. Smith presents an original comparative analysis of the rise of 'national art' in eighteenth-century Britain and France. Subsequent chapters address the emblems and oath-swearing ceremonies of the citizen nation, the evocation of native poetic landscapes, the exempla virtutis of national heroes, ancient and modern, and the funerary memorials of martyrs and soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the nation in Britain and France. The conclusion highlights the common elements and the main differences in the French and British trajectories of artistic and national development. Illustrated with striking images, The Nation Made Real offers a new interpretation of the role of visual culture in the formation of nations and national identity among the educated classes in Western Europe.

About the Author
Anthony D. Smith is Emeritus Professor of Nationalism and Ethnicity at the London School of Economics, President of the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN), and Chief Editor of its journal, Nations and Nationalism. He is the originator of an ethno-symbolic approach to nations and nationalism, and the founder of the academic study of nationalism in Britain. His publications include eighteen single-authored books, translated into twenty-two languages; three edited books; and over one hundred journal articles and chapters in edited books.

Reviews
Anthony Smith is a crisp explainer. The nature and purpose of his project is crystal clear ... He proves a level-headed chaperone for the minitature grand tour that is The Nation Made Real, equally at home in history and destiny, community and territory, landscape and ethnoscape ... * Alex Danchev, Times Higher Education *
Anthony Smith, the doyen of Anglophone historians of nationalism (he has published at least twenty books with 'nation' or its cognates in the title) has brought his formidable learning to bear on the subject [of nationalist paintings] The Nation Made Real is a well-written, stimulating and rewarding study that can be warmly recommended to anyone interested in the history of nationalism in the period. * Literary Review *
The Nation Made Real will be useful to students beyond the humanities and encourage them to take art seriously as a source, inviting them to delve deeper into the pictorial range and complications of the subject, and the rewards of primary research. At the same time, its sociological schema merit the critical attention of historical scholars too. * Stephen Daniels, American Historical Review *
a good overview, by one of the leading specialists on nationalism... it will be a useful introduction for those who are new to this domain, such as undergraduate students from the field of art history, visual studies, history and nationalism studies. * Eric Storm, English Historical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199662975
Author Anthony D. Smith
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 512g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 163mm * 20mm