Admission requirements
See M.A. Art History program guide and Exam regulations.
Students must have read Theo Hermans (ed.), A Literary History of the Low Countries. Rochester/New York: Camden House, 2009, p. 1-291 before the first class starts.
Description
Lucas van Leyden (c. 1494-1533) is usually seen as a pioneer of the Renaissance in the northern Netherlands. He started his career at the age of fourteen and left an extensive oeuvre of paintings, prints and drawings. His graphic work was of great influence, inside and outside the Netherlands. Lucas was praised for his artistic production by Giorgio Vasari and Karel van Mander. Dürer, who met Lucas van Leyden in Antwerp in 1521, owned several of his prints and in the seventeenth century Rembrandt was a keen collector of his engravings. From 20 March to 26 June 2011, the Lakenhal Museum in Leiden organized an impressive exhibition, ‘Lucas van Leyden and the Renaissance’, showing his work in the historical and art-historical context of his time.
In this seminar, students will become acquainted with the life and work of this famous Leiden artist, placed within the context of his time. His work will be associated with and compared to the work of contemporaries and predecessors. The main question to be answered in this seminar is to what extent Lucas van Leyden was a herald of the Renaissance and to what extent an heir of the preceding medieval tradition. Was he really the innovative artist who introduced the ideas of the Italian renaissance to the Netherlands or did he combine a new style with old themes? Which themes did he choose and how did he acquire his knowledge? Which art-historical and literary sources did he know and how did he use them?
Course objectives
Students gain an insight into the life and work of Lucas van Leyden in relation to the art-historical and literary traditions.
Students will gain an insight into Lucas van Leyden’s artistic position in the process of cultural change between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Students will partake in interdisciplinary research and research methods.
Students will gain experience in presenting their research results in a group by means of a presentation.
Students will learn to engage in scholarly debates and discussions.
Timetable
See the timetable on the department website.
Mode of instruction
Seminar (2 hours a week), individual study of source materials.
Assessment method
Paper (70%), oral presentation (20%), discussion (10%).
Blackboard
Yes.
Reading list
To be announced on Blackboard (August 2011).
Please note that students must have read Theo Hermans (ed.), A Literary History of the Low Countries. Rochester/New York: Camden House, 2009, p. 1-291 before the first class starts
Registration
Students must apply for this course through the university registration system uSis. General information about registration with uSis you can find here in Dutch and in English.
Exchange and Study Abroad students, please see the Study in Leiden website for information on how to apply.
Contact information
Marion Boers-Goosens, Art History, Doelensteeg 16 (Johan Huizingagebouw), Room number 2.24
tel. 071-5272505
m.e.w.boers@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Wim van Anrooij, Dutch Language and Culture, P.N. van Eyckhof 1 (gebouw 1167), Room number 101A
tel. 071-5272121
w.van.anrooij@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
The Leiden MA specialisation in late mediaeval and early modern visual arts enables students to acquire in-depth knowledge of at least two major periods, artists or styles, to critically evaluate secundary literature about them, and to present their arguments in papers or presentations on the site. It also trains their skills of visual analysis of prints and drawings, paintings or sculpture. This year, major figures and periods are the subject of the courses on Lucas van Leyden and Michelangelo. The Michelangelo course offers an in-depth critical treatment of exisiting studies; the Lucas van Leyden course will enable students to develop their visual skills, and present their findings in a museum setting.