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Crossroads in History – Fashioning ‘Brand Tudor’: Hans Holbein, his predecessors and successors 1485 – 1558
Description
Crossroads in History – Fashioning ‘Brand Tudor’: Hans Holbein, his predecessors and successors, 1485 – 1558
Thursday 6 February
Fee: £33
Morning session with three-course lunch
During this session we will observe how the early Tudors, like their European counterparts, came to develop and enlarge their status and power through the way they presented themselves to their publics, both in the flesh and in a range of media. Beginning with Henry VII, often overshadowed by his much-married son, we will examine how through the art of the period, most especially portraiture and complex iconography within it, these monarchs promoted themselves on the national and international stage at a time when the emergent superpowers, France and Spain, dominated Western politics.
We will observe the preponderance of Northern Renaissance artists in this cultural propaganda exercise, most notably Hans Holbein but also others including William Scrots and Anthonis Mor during the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I. Includes extensive handouts.
Tutor: Joanna Cobb
Tutor information
Joanna is an independent art historian, researcher and lecturer based in Somerset with a passionate belief in the benefits of lifelong learning in its fullest sense. Following a career teaching history, she studied history of art at Birkbeck, University of London, leading to an MA with distinction. Joanna’s article, ‘From Parrots to Princes: Exhibitions of Contemporary Stained Glass in Late Eighteenth-century London’. appeared in the online journal Vidimus, Issue 53, July/August 2011. Since moving to Somerset Joanna has been invited to speak for a range of organisations including the WEA, the U3A, the Western Front Association, Wells Cathedral School, ArtsLink Sherborne, Somerset Multicultural Association, and several local groups, including Bruton Art Society and Somerton Artists’ Group. Joanna’s initiative ‘Talking Film’ in partnership with Wells Film Centre continues to attract large audiences. Films featured so far include ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’, ‘The Goldfinch’, ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ and ‘1917’, with more planned. Joanna also runs her own series of lectures and courses in several local venues. Her art historical interests include patronage, display, spectatorship, and the changing status of art and artists. Her occasional series ‘On the Margin: in the Frame’ aims to highlight the contributions of less familiar creatives including women, disabled and black artists. Central to Joanna’s approach is an understanding of the cultural, political and social contexts in which works of art were produced and experienced, in order to allow the ‘bigger picture’ to emerge and in so doing enrich and enlarge the encounter. Joanna is also an award winning gardener who supports St. Margaret’s Hospice and the National Gardens Scheme through her public openings.
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