Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) Bildnistriptychon des Oswolt Krel, Mittelteil: Oswolt Krel, 1499
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
I see right through you – Guided tour through the ‘Alte Pinakothek’ in Munich
Jasmijn Visser
Kirsten Twelbeck
Just a few days before Christmas, PhD candidate Jasmijn Visser invited IDK PhD students and advisors to join her for a workshop in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Jasmijn, who is also an artist, introduced us to a wide variety of paintings representing various styles and topics that came into fashion since the Middle Ages. Talking about paintings mainly from Italian, Dutch, and German painters in an interdisciplinary group brought forth ever new facets and interpretive options, making it clear that visual art emerges very much in the context of its time—it reacts and contributes to the mindset of a particular culture, but it also, very often, continues to speak to us today, reminding us of the roots of Western cultures.
Kirsten Twelbeck
Jasmijn’s background in art, and art history, enabled wonderful discussions about class, gender, and the European colonial legacy. How did technological innovations influence the way artists responded to the world, in their own, artistic ways? What was the impact of the Reformation on the development of European art, particularly in countries like the Netherlands, or Germany? What do we learn about conceptions of the human body, during a particular time-period? What is the story behind the exotic birds, mammals, plants, that appeared on canvas in growing numbers?
“Is there, really, only one way of looking at art? What might be other ways to look at artworks? What knowledge do artworks produce? And, while we are looking at artworks, how do they look back at us in return? What does an artwork tell us about who we are, what information about us is stored in an artwork?” (Jasmjn Visser)
