The “Let’s Talk Art” series is far from its conclusion. David Hanson, department head and professor of English, will be giving a presentation on Charles Dickens and the author’s relation between his writing and the visual arts on Wednesday, April 9 at 5 p.m. in the Hammond Regional Arts Center.

What will be particularly unique about this presentation is among only a few, this one will be addressing the connection between literature and art, which should be able to interest any student or community member.

“We like a mix of art techniques, media, history, culture, connections to other disciplines and ancillary topics such as collecting or restoration, so that we can attract a wider audience with differing interests,” said Eric Johnson, director of Sims Memorial Library and one of the coordinators of the series.

Hanson will be presenting a different perspective on the series, due to his literature-based background.

“There has always been a very close connection between literature and the visual arts. Historically, they were called the ‘sister arts,'” said Hanson. “Some writer/artists, such as William Blake or D. G. Rossetti, have been equally successful in both professions. But even writers and artists who aren’t equally talented in both areas typically are interested in how the ‘sister art’ addresses seeing and articulating.”

Hanson will not be purely focused on Dickens but specifically on how art played a role in his writing. This mainly applies to his interest in the work of eighteenth century artist, William Hogarth. According to Hanson, Dickens singled out William Hogarth as an inspiration and during the presentation, Hanson will be exploring the reasons behind this.

“I’ve chosen Dickens and Hogarth first because many people already enjoy some exposure to Dickens’s writing, and second because his interest in Hogarth was primarily as storyteller,” said Hanson. “That’s not the only way art and literature intersect, but storytelling is an accessible place to begin.”

Hanson points out this will be a good opportunity to hear how much the visual arts and written arts are connected, and how much they play into one another.

“I hope the audience will come away from the lecture interested in exploring the very wide field of connections between literature and visual arts – connections that are not only interesting in themselves but that can also be critical for understanding the fields separately.” 

For more information on the series, call the Sims Memorial Library at 985-549-3962.