Early Netherlandish Painting: Angels, Demons, Nudes

1 Course Unit

Over the course of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, painting in the Netherlands experienced dramatic technological advancements: the application of oil on panel allowed for an unprecedented richness of color; experiments with optics led to improved illusions of space; artists rendered light and reflections as never before. Did these advancements in depicting the natural world conflict with or enhance the portrayal of spiritual visions? Did realism pave the way for secular art? In this course, we will look critically at the relationship of science and art, tradition and innovation, the imagined and the experienced. The delicate preciousness of Jan van Eyck, the strange spaces of Petrus Christus, the bizarre hellscapes of Hieronymus Bosch, and the peasant festivals of Peter Bruegel will guide us through these themes. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit