Identifying, Understanding and Interpreting the Black African Presence in Renaissance Art
Course Overview
There is a black presence in many of works the great Renaissance masters including Breughel, Dürer, Titian, and Veronese. That presence takes many different forms; blacks are depicted as kings, as slaves, as servants, as saints and sometimes just as people. Identifying and understanding and Interpreting the Black African Presence in Renaissance Art course will reveal that presence to show what it meant socially, culturally and politically during the period.
Course Content (three 60 mins lecture) :
Part 1 Introduction to Black Presence in Renaissance Art
A review of how to look at the presence from the period and the role of the artist and the patron. Africa and Europe the economic cultural and social developments through the period. An overview of the various forms of black presence in European art from the 14th to the 16th centuries with examples from works of Giotto, Pisanello, Breughel, Durer, Mantegna, Titian, Veronese and other Renaissance artists.
Part 2 Power and Magnificence – The Black Magus
The black king or Magus appears in hundreds if not thousands of Renaissance Adoration images of the three kings visiting the baby Jesus Mat 2.22. However no black king visited Europe during the period, no black king is mentioned in Matthew’s gospel yet the image of three kings one of whom is black is seen throughout the period and across Europe. What were its origins? What did it mean?
Part 3 The Black Presence at Royal Courts – Musician and Saint
The Saint: The black St Maurice was a role model for kings for 500 years. Before 1512 St Maurice was depicted as white there after he became black, we examines what happened and why.
The Musicians: We trace the origins of the black Trumpeter for Iberian peninsula’s 9th Islamic courts to 16th century European Courts.
There is a black presence in many of works the great Renaissance masters including Breughel, Dürer, Titian, and Veronese. That presence takes many different forms; blacks are depicted as kings, as slaves, as servants, as saints and sometimes just as people. Identifying and understanding and Interpreting the Black African Presence in Renaissance Art course will reveal that presence to show what it meant socially, culturally and politically during the period.
Course Content (three 60 mins lecture) :
Part 1 Introduction to Black Presence in Renaissance Art
A review of how to look at the presence from the period and the role of the artist and the patron. Africa and Europe the economic cultural and social developments through the period. An overview of the various forms of black presence in European art from the 14th to the 16th centuries with examples from works of Giotto, Pisanello, Breughel, Durer, Mantegna, Titian, Veronese and other Renaissance artists.
Part 2 Power and Magnificence – The Black Magus
The black king or Magus appears in hundreds if not thousands of Renaissance Adoration images of the three kings visiting the baby Jesus Mat 2.22. However no black king visited Europe during the period, no black king is mentioned in Matthew’s gospel yet the image of three kings one of whom is black is seen throughout the period and across Europe. What were its origins? What did it mean?
Part 3 The Black Presence at Royal Courts – Musician and Saint
The Saint: The black St Maurice was a role model for kings for 500 years. Before 1512 St Maurice was depicted as white there after he became black, we examines what happened and why.
The Musicians: We trace the origins of the black Trumpeter for Iberian peninsula’s 9th Islamic courts to 16th century European Courts.