Anthony van DYCK, Flemish 1599–1641, Portrait of Philadelphia and Elizabeth Wharton 1640, oil on canvas, 162.0 х 130.0 cm, The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg (Inv. no. ГЭ-533), Acquired from the collection of Sir Robert Walpole, Houghton Hall, 1779
Three floor talks at the National Gallery of Victoria from Melbourne-based art historians as part of the current Masterpieces from the Hermitage Exhibition. Floor talks will take place in the exhibition, they are free but you need to pay the exhibition entrance fee. No bookings are required, for further details see the website.
Sunday 13th September 1pm | Italy, the North, and 18th Century Taste in Russia
The large royal collections that were assembled, arranged and exhibited across Europe during the second half of the eighteenth century now act as documents of taste from the time. Among other things, a strong taste for Baroque art, in particular from Italy and the Northern countries was ever-present in Catherine the Great’s collection in St Petersburg, visible in the works she acquired as well as the manner in which they were displayed. This talk will examine several of the best examples from Catherine’s collection, discussing the visual elements of the works, their display and the artists’ positions within broader eighteenth century taste.
Speaker Callum Reid, Art Historian, University of Melbourne
Thursday 22nd October 12pm | Rapid sketching and the meticulous mastery of line
Drawings offer a rare glimpse into the formation of artistic ideas. When a historical drawing is re-experienced as immediate, its strokes curl, run, dash, and dart. This floor talk will consider a selection of drawings from the collection of Catherine the Great from a range of different perspectives: from the initial workshop setting to the gaze of the eighteenth-century collector and twentieth-century connoisseur.
Speaker Marco Quabba, PhD Candidate, Art History, The University of Melbourne
Wednesday 4th November 1pm | A Great Patron, Builder and Westerniser
Emeritus Professor Sasha Grishin discusses Catherine the Great’s impact on developments in Russian art. A great patron, builder and westerniser of Russian cultural life, Catherine left a contested legacy for Russian artists.
Speaker Professor Alexander (Sasha) Grishin, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences