Description

Numerous innovations in the production and circulation of artworks during the so-called ‘northern Renaissance’ (c. 1375-1575) set the stage for future developments in artistic practices. This module examines artistic transformations in northern Europe by addressing topics such as:

• development of new artistic media, e.g. prints on paper and oil painting on panel;
• technical and visual innovations in materials like embroidery and stained glass;
• new genres and functions, such as the expansion of devotional art forms in the 15th century, and new secular themes in 16th-century representation following the Reformation;
• expansion of art patronage to middle and lower social classes;
• changing expectations of how artists should be trained and educated, and the significance of their social status;
• innovations in the production and circulation of artworks, from workshop organisation to marketing and distribution networks.

This module will further address innovations in recent years in how this period has been studied, so we will study innovations in the art-historical methodology of this period, as well as innovations within the period itself.

Objectives

 By the end of the module, students should have acquired:

• Knowledge of a range of artworks made in northern Europe c. 1375-1575
• Understanding of how these artworks were produced, circulated and used
• Ability to assess and apply a range of methodological approaches to these artworks

Preliminary Reading

• Joseph Leo Koerner, The Moment of Self-Portraiture in German Renaissance Art (1993)
• Jeffrey Chipps Smith, The Northern Renaissance (2004)
• Susie Nash, Northern Renaissance Art (2008)
• Stephanie Porras, Art of the Northern Renaissance: Courts, Commerce and Devotion (2018)