The Anthroposophical Society of Cape Ann presents:
Two Lectures
“The Christian Path of Initiations portrayed in Northern European
Renaissance Art”
and
“Southern and Northern European Renaissance Art: Contrasts in
Form and intention”
Three Maries at the Tomb by Van Eyck, 1419
Two Lectures by Oxford Art Historian David Lowe
Friday, April 10th, 7:30-9:00 pm
&
Saturday April 11th, 10:00 am-Noon
The House of Peace
1 High Street, Ipswich, MA
Suggested Donation per lecture: $10, or what you can
The Passion in Painting, Friday, April 10th at 7:30 pm
in the Barn, at The House of Peace
During the Renaissance, artists were deeply concerned with depicting the narratives of the life of
Jesus and the various legends that had grown up around them. The effort put into it was never so
great before or since, nor have the astonishing achievements of this period ever been equaled. In this
talk, we will look at some Renaissance paintings depicting the events of the Passion leading up to
Good Friday and the Resurrection which followed on Easter Sunday. In keeping with the theme of the
second talk, we will mainly be looking at the work of Northern painters such as Van Eyck, Van Der
Weyden, Dürer, and Grünewald. However, we will be considering some works by Southern European
artists including Michelangelo and Piero della Francesca. One of the highlights of this presentation
will be Van Eyck’s wonderful “Adoration of the Lamb” altarpiece.
A knowledge of art history is not required. All are welcome to come and enjoy the slides of some
beautiful paintings.
Northern Renaissance Art, Saturday April 11th 10:00 am-Noon
in the Barn, at the House of Peace
We will be looking widely at the work of the artists of the Northern Renaissance, starting with Van
Eyck and Van Der Weyden, and moving on to Hieronymous Bosch, Dürer, Grünewald, Holbein, and
others. A feature will be some dramatic paintings of “the Last Judgement” by Bosch, Memling and
Van Der Weyden. Another group will look at paintings of “The Temptations of St Anthony” with their
depictions of elemental beings. We will use these works of art to throw light on the lectures in Rudolf
Steiner’s Art History Course, where he considers the development of art in Europe north of the Alps.
Most of this development occurred before Luther’s protests, which led to the Reformation. The
astonishing fusion of the developments north and south of the Alps led to a spectacular flowering of
painting at the turn of the 14th century into the 15th century. We shall also include, in order to show
this, slides of a few paintings by Leonardo and Raphael.
DAVID LOWE, born in Yorkshire, England, studied Philosophy and Politics at Oxford University and
later History of Art at Oxford Brookes. He attended Emerson College from 1980-81. In his mid-thirties
he spent a year following Goethe’s journey through Italy, a voyage that had a transformative effect on
his life. With the painter Simon Sharp, he co- authored the book, Goethe and Palladio, based on the
first part of their shared journey. David lectures in the United Kingdom and the United States, as well
as organizing study groups and workshops at Steiner House in London.
Annunciation to Mary by Albrecht Dürer