Jan van Eyck and the altarpiece in Northern Europe
The Northern Renaissance altarpiece is a thing of beauty: exquisitely painted in oil, full of rich, sumptuous decorative details, a broad, vivid and brilliant colour range, artistically innovative, conventional and experimental, distinctive and complex. Come and find out more about these works of art on this five-week online course, where we cover some of the altarpieces made by highlight artists such as Jan van Eyck and Rogie...
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This type of image consisting of frames and pinnacles, panels, wings and shutters are painted by some of the stars of the period including Hubert and Jan van Eyck, Petrus Christus, Hans Memling and Robert Campin. Starting with the legendary Ghent altarpiece by the van Eycks, this course is a case by case study of some of the most loved and less well known altarpieces painted in the Netherlands from 1420-1480. We will explore how the altarpiece can be seen as a means by which patrons could give visible form to their piety, devotion and even social status. During the 15th century in the Netherlands, a preoccupation with religion was strong, but for the elite, so was the culture of display.
Each week we will consider a different work and consider structure and framing, iconography, the representation of holy figure, saint and patron/donor, as well as consider the function of the altarpiece and what it reveals about attitudes to religious worship and devotion during the period. We will also make comparisons with other works. In considering the altarpieces as an entity in their own right, we will be able to understand better their original settings and locations within churches, their use in rituals and processions and explore their relationships with other cultural and religious manifestations of the time - such as exempla (moralising narratives), written accounts of the saints and theatrical displays in and out of the parish churches in towns like Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp and Brussels.
What will we cover?
• Close analytical discussions of a selection of altarpieces from 15th-century northern art.
• Identifying types of altarpiece design, as well as their function within a chapel or church
• Learn more about the named artists, such as Jan van Eyck who made these altarpieces.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
1. To learn how to engage with a work of art by a close reading, starting with a narrow focus and then considering the work in a broader context.
2.To learn how to discuss works of art and build up confidence in writing about the art of a particular period
3. To learn to critically engage with an art centre with international links and networks and artistic rivalry
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information. This course takes place on Zoom and uses a Google Classroom to share materials. Please be familiar with or be willing to learn how to operate elements of Zoom, specifically camera, microphone and chat functions. For more on how our online learning works, please click here.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught by lecture with slide images and you will be invited to participate in group discussion. There will be handouts provided by your tutor; these handouts will be available digitally via a Google Classroom. You will be invited to join the Google Classroom within a week of your course start date.
Please note: this is a live lecture course and will not be recorded for playback for reasons of copyright, digital infrastructure and data protection.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list provided. A reading list will be shared after the course begins, not before.
Emma Rose Barber is an art historian who has been teaching adults for over 25 years. She specialises in the visual culture of the Middle Ages and the Italian and Northern Renaissance. She has also taught classes on British art and has designed many different courses such as Last Suppers in Florence and Bosch, Breughel and the Surrealists. She has also given lectures on Women and Art. She used to run the history of art department at the British Institute in Florence and works for many institutions such as the Open University, Morley College and the department of continuing education at the University of Oxford. Her book – 111 Churches that you Shouldn’t Miss in London - is coming out in the autumn of 2020. She has spent the last five years with a Mini A-Z looking for churches to write about, many of which can be found on her blog – https://theitinerantchurchgoer.wordpress.com/. She is also writing a Cultural History of Wayfaring and writes articles for Selvedge Magazine.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/jan-van-eyck-and-the-altarpiece-in-northern-europe3075118Jan van Eyck and the altarpiece in Northern Europehttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/j/a/jan-van-eyck-and-the-altarpiece-in-northern-europe-vb189.jpg159159GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Art history/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Online courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Art history/Early modern world228511361177173118891228511771136<p>The Northern Renaissance altarpiece is a thing of beauty: exquisitely painted in oil, full of rich, sumptuous decorative details, a broad, vivid and brilliant colour range, artistically innovative, conventional and experimental, distinctive and complex. Come and find out more about these works of art on this five-week online course, where we cover some of the altarpieces made by highlight artists such as Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden.</p>003075031Jan van Eyck and the altarpiece in Northern Europe159159https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/j/a/jan-van-eyck-and-the-altarpiece-in-northern-europe-vb189_1.jpgInStockDaytimeTueOnlineAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2027-02-23T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allFeb 2027Culture, history & humanitiesVB189159159Jan van Eyck and the altarpiece in Northern Europe127103159Emma Rose Barberjan-van-eyck-and-the-altarpiece-in-northern-europe/vb189-2627<p>The Northern Renaissance altarpiece is a thing of beauty: exquisitely painted in oil, full of rich, sumptuous decorative details, a broad, vivid and brilliant colour range, artistically innovative, conventional and experimental, distinctive and complex. Come and find out more about these works of art on this five-week online course, where we cover some of the altarpieces made by highlight artists such as Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden.</p>0000-Available|2027-02-23 00:00:00<p>This type of image consisting of frames and pinnacles, panels, wings and shutters are painted by some of the stars of the period including Hubert and Jan van Eyck, Petrus Christus, Hans Memling and Robert Campin. Starting with the legendary Ghent altarpiece by the van Eycks, this course is a case by case study of some of the most loved and less well known altarpieces painted in the Netherlands from 1420-1480. We will explore how the altarpiece can be seen as a means by which patrons could give visible form to their piety, devotion and even social status. During the 15th century in the Netherlands, a preoccupation with religion was strong, but for the elite, so was the culture of display.</p><p>Each week we will consider a different work and consider structure and framing, iconography, the representation of holy figure, saint and patron/donor, as well as consider the function of the altarpiece and what it reveals about attitudes to religious worship and devotion during the period. We will also make comparisons with other works. In considering the altarpieces as an entity in their own right, we will be able to understand better their original settings and locations within churches, their use in rituals and processions and explore their relationships with other cultural and religious manifestations of the time - such as exempla (moralising narratives), written accounts of the saints and theatrical displays in and out of the parish churches in towns like Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp and Brussels.</p><p>The Northern Renaissance altarpiece is a thing of beauty: exquisitely painted in oil, full of rich, sumptuous decorative details, a broad, vivid and brilliant colour range, artistically innovative, conventional and experimental, distinctive and complex. Come and find out more about these works of art on this five-week online course, where we cover some of the altarpieces made by highlight artists such as Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden.</p><p>• Close analytical discussions of a selection of altarpieces from 15th-century northern art.</p><p>• Identifying types of altarpiece design, as well as their function within a chapel or church</p><p>• Learn more about the named artists, such as Jan van Eyck who made these altarpieces.</p><p>1. To learn how to engage with a work of art by a close reading, starting with a narrow focus and then considering the work in a broader context.</p><p>2.To learn how to discuss works of art and build up confidence in writing about the art of a particular period</p><p>3. To learn to critically engage with an art centre with international links and networks and artistic rivalry</p><p>This course is suitable for all levels.</p><p>You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information. This course takes place on Zoom and uses a Google Classroom to share materials. Please be familiar with or be willing to learn how to operate elements of Zoom, specifically camera, microphone and chat functions. For more on how our online learning works, please <a href="https://help.citylit.ac.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/11273523970845-What-is-your-City-Lit-student-IT-account" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">click here</a>.</p><p>You will be taught by lecture with slide images and you will be invited to participate in group discussion. There will be handouts provided by your tutor; these handouts will be available digitally via a Google Classroom. You will be invited to join the Google Classroom within a week of your course start date.</p><p><strong>Please note</strong>: this is a live lecture course and will not be recorded for playback for reasons of copyright, digital infrastructure and data protection.</p><p>You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list provided. A reading list will be shared after the course begins, not before.</p><p>Focus on: Iconography</p>Art historyEarly modern worldvirtual127159103VB189NONETue23/02/27 - 23/03/2711:00 - 13:0011:0013:005 sessions (over 5 weeks)55-10 weeksDaytimeWeekdayOnlineOnlineEmma Rose BarberBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2027-02-23T00:00:00+00:00Feb 2027Culture, history & humanities159159Jan van Eyck and the altarpiece in Northern Europejan-van-eyck-and-the-altarpiece-in-northern-europe/vb189-2627<p>The Northern Renaissance altarpiece is a thing of beauty: exquisitely painted in oil, full of rich, sumptuous decorative details, a broad, vivid and brilliant colour range, artistically innovative, conventional and experimental, distinctive and complex. Come and find out more about these works of art on this five-week online course, where we cover some of the altarpieces made by highlight artists such as Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden.</p>0000-Available|2027-02-23 00:00:00<p>This type of image consisting of frames and pinnacles, panels, wings and shutters are painted by some of the stars of the period including Hubert and Jan van Eyck, Petrus Christus, Hans Memling and Robert Campin. Starting with the legendary Ghent altarpiece by the van Eycks, this course is a case by case study of some of the most loved and less well known altarpieces painted in the Netherlands from 1420-1480. We will explore how the altarpiece can be seen as a means by which patrons could give visible form to their piety, devotion and even social status. During the 15th century in the Netherlands, a preoccupation with religion was strong, but for the elite, so was the culture of display.</p><p>Each week we will consider a different work and consider structure and framing, iconography, the representation of holy figure, saint and patron/donor, as well as consider the function of the altarpiece and what it reveals about attitudes to religious worship and devotion during the period. We will also make comparisons with other works. In considering the altarpieces as an entity in their own right, we will be able to understand better their original settings and locations within churches, their use in rituals and processions and explore their relationships with other cultural and religious manifestations of the time - such as exempla (moralising narratives), written accounts of the saints and theatrical displays in and out of the parish churches in towns like Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp and Brussels.</p><p>The Northern Renaissance altarpiece is a thing of beauty: exquisitely painted in oil, full of rich, sumptuous decorative details, a broad, vivid and brilliant colour range, artistically innovative, conventional and experimental, distinctive and complex. Come and find out more about these works of art on this five-week online course, where we cover some of the altarpieces made by highlight artists such as Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden.</p><p>• Close analytical discussions of a selection of altarpieces from 15th-century northern art.</p><p>• Identifying types of altarpiece design, as well as their function within a chapel or church</p><p>• Learn more about the named artists, such as Jan van Eyck who made these altarpieces.</p><p>1. To learn how to engage with a work of art by a close reading, starting with a narrow focus and then considering the work in a broader context.</p><p>2.To learn how to discuss works of art and build up confidence in writing about the art of a particular period</p><p>3. To learn to critically engage with an art centre with international links and networks and artistic rivalry</p><p>This course is suitable for all levels.</p><p>You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information. This course takes place on Zoom and uses a Google Classroom to share materials. Please be familiar with or be willing to learn how to operate elements of Zoom, specifically camera, microphone and chat functions. For more on how our online learning works, please <a href="https://help.citylit.ac.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/11273523970845-What-is-your-City-Lit-student-IT-account" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">click here</a>.</p><p>You will be taught by lecture with slide images and you will be invited to participate in group discussion. There will be handouts provided by your tutor; these handouts will be available digitally via a Google Classroom. You will be invited to join the Google Classroom within a week of your course start date.</p><p><strong>Please note</strong>: this is a live lecture course and will not be recorded for playback for reasons of copyright, digital infrastructure and data protection.</p><p>You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list provided. A reading list will be shared after the course begins, not before.</p><p>Focus on: Iconography</p>Art historyEarly modern worldconfigurable
18891136Early modern worldhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/art-history/early-modern-world1/2/285/1177/1136/18891/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Art history/Early modern world
