Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to

1. reproduce and critically reflect on the concept of ´Golden ages´ in art and culture, especially in Early Modern Italy and the Netherlands;
2. recognize and analyse works of painting, sculpture and architecture in seventeenth century Italy and the Republic of the Netherlands, and
3. analyse and interpret the the artistic relations between the two.
4. understand the relations between form and content in the objects under consideration, as well as their function within their histrical context.

This course contributes to learning outcomes (BA Art History) nrs. 1, 2, 3, as they are described in the Art History Propsectus..
 

During the Renaissance and the Baroque, the Netherlands and Italy were a good match artistcally. An innovative and flourishing art production developed in Flanders and the Dutch Republic in the course of the seventeenth century. Masters like Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer contributed to the image of a ‘Golden Age’. At about the same time, in Italy, artists like Caravaggio, Bernini and Pietro da Cortona made completely different, but equally magnificent works of art. While, for instance, the mainly Protestant Northern Netherlands grated opportunities for the development of new genres and a versatile art market, in Counter Reformation Italy the relationship between art and the Catholic Church was the order of the day. Yet, a lively and reciprocal artistic exchange between North and South existed in that time period. By discussing and analysing works of visual art and architecture from the two Golden Ages in Italy and the Netherlands, this course aims to elucidate form and nature of Baroque art in both territories, as well as the artistic relations between them. Moreover, the iconography and function of the works of art will be discussed taking account of their original contexts.

Please note:
In the academic year 2019-2020 this course will serve as both a Keuzecursus in the bachelor’s programme Art History, and as a Core curriculum 2 (CC2) course. Students who would like to follow it as a Keuzecursus, therefore, will have to choose a different CC2 course, and vice versa.