Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp
Three artists and their cities
Online Course
SNAPSHOT
Lecturer: Dr Sophie Oosterwijk
Sessions: 3 x 90 minutes
Dates: 21, 28 March, 4 April, 2024
Times: Thursday @ 7.30pm AEDT
Group Size: Maximum of 15 screens
Price: $150 AUD
TWO WAYS TO WATCH
Can't make a date above? Don't worry... this course will be recorded, allowing you to watch each session at your convenience for up to 14 days. Simply sign up below and we'll send you a link on the first business day following each live session, ensuring you never miss a class!
Overview
The county of Flanders in modern-day Belgium was home to many famous artists in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, notably the port cities of Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp.
In Ghent Cathedral we still find the magnificent Ghent Altarpiece, begun by Hubert van Eyck but completed by his brother Jan. Bruges became home to Hans Memling, famous for both portraits and religious paintings. The medieval St John’s hospital John in Bruges now houses the Memling Museum and the large altarpiece that Memling painted for the hospital. The grand Antwerp mansion of the internationally renowned painter Peter Paul Rubens is now the Rubens House Museum.
This short course is an introduction to these three historic cities and the life and work of their most famous artists.
YOUR EXPERT LECTURER
Dr Sophie Oosterwijk is a Dutch art historian who has lived and worked in the UK for over 20 years. She specialises in Medieval, Flemish and Dutch art and has led and designed tours to Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain and the United Kingdom since 1994.
Sophie holds an MA and PhD in English literature from Leiden University, an MA in Medieval Studies from the University of York, and a PhD in Art History from the University of Leicester. She has taught at the universities of Leicester, Manchester and St Andrews, and is a regular guest lecturer in Continuing Education for the University of Cambridge.
Session info
-
Hubert van Eyck was commissioned to create the Ghent Altarpiece but after Hubert’s death in 1426 his brother Jan finished this complex work.
-
German-born painter Hans Memling settled in Bruges where he created both portraits and altarpieces, many of which are now housed in the city’s museums.
-
After his return from Italy Peter Paul Rubens settled in Antwerp where he created the famous Elevation of the Cross for the cathedral and many works still to be seen in the city.
Suggested Reading List
Susie Nash, Northern Renaissance Art, Oxford History of Art (2008), available as a free download at https://archive.org/details/northernrenaissa0000nash
Jacob Wisse, ‘Burgundian Netherlands: Court Life and Patronage’, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) at
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bnpu/hd_bnpu.htm
Jacob Wisse, ‘Burgundian Netherlands: Private Life’, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) at
Booking
How it works
Our online courses are hosted live on Zoom, a free online education platform. If you don’t already have an account with Zoom, you will need to sign up at www.zoom.us. To join with video, you'll also need a device with a camera (such as a computer, phone or tablet with a webcam). Otherwise you can join with audio only.
An online ticket booking is required, made above. Each booking is for one computer screen use, not person. Our online booking system is powered by Stripe, with secure payment processing that accepts all major credit cards.
A confirmation of purchase will be sent to your email with a Zoom link to use for every session in this course, along with a reminder email sent 2 hours before each session.
When joining the Zoom meeting, you will enter a virtual ‘waiting room’. Please ensure that your Zoom screen name matches the name you booked under, so that the lecturer can admit you from the virtual ‘waiting room’ into each session. Your lecturer can help you troubleshoot any technical issues on the day.