Defining the historesque: On understanding art that uses the historical to explore the haunts of the present.

Simon Mee’s use and understanding of the historical reference as medium, as a contemporary visual artist and curator. The thesis tracks the evolution and use of historical images and techniques by Simon Mee in his attempts to understand the unconscious attraction of the historical subject and its potential meaning. The term “historesque” has been invented as a summary term for Simon Mee’s use of the historical.