Courtauld summer school day 2

Another good day at the summer school! The first lecture was on devotion in painting focusing on the development of the altarpiece in Venice. We looked in quite a lot of detail at what wasn’t an altarpiece, ie private devotional works. Altarpieces in this period went through three phases the gilded polyptic form through the sacred conversation style to the large narrative pieces. It was great to see lots of images which I knew well so a bit like studying old friends.

The second lecture was on the Scuole, the Venetian version of confraternities, and the art they commissioned. They developed a wonderful narrative tradition which often places miracles and biblical events into a contemporary setting.

The afternoon was a session in the National Gallery looking in particular at the Bellini’s most of which in the collection were for private devotion. We discussed the changing nature of private devotion, the influence of Flemish and Netherlandish art and the early development of portraiture.

I have to mention that the Sainsbury wing has had a rehang. It’s great in that it makes you look at familiar works again as they are in an unfamiliar place however it is also a bit like not knowing where the bacon is when the supermarket reorganises!

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