Charlotte Flint (Year 2, History of Art) was awarded an undergraduate research scholarship by the College of Arts and Law in summer 2011 to assist Professor Matthew Rampley and Dr Kate Ince (French Studies) in a research project examining the work of the Nazarene painters and the French painter Louis Janmot (1814-1892).

The Nazarenes, a group of Austrian and German painters based in Rome between 1810 and 1830, were important precursors of the pre-Raphaelites and Janmot, a student of Ingres, was frequently referred to as the 'French Pre-Raphaelite' due to the similarity of his ideas.

The research was in support of a planned exhibition at the Barber Institute, but it is also part of a wider project in which the University is developing cultural and research exchanges with museums, galleries and universities in Birmingham's partner cities Lyons and Frankfurt am Main.

Charlotte Flint said, 'The scholarship opportunity has taught me invaluable research skills, for example learning how to use online archives in French and German as well as English and how to engage critically with academic texts and catalogues. In addition to these research techniques the scholarship further improved my language skills as a number of texts were in either French or German, introduced me to the artworks of the Nazarenes and Janmot and improved my confidence immeasurably.

I feel that the scholarship has further prepared my research skills ahead of my final dissertation which I am currently preparing as well as providing me with academic skills which will surely benefit me in a future career.'