CALL FOR PAPERS: Networking Dürer. Art and Communication in the Era of Media Revolution, Museen der stadt nürnberg - Albrecht-Dürer-Haus / Grafische Sammlung (Äußere Sulzbacher Str. 60, D-90491 Nürnberg), Samstag 4 December 2010.
Since 2002, the annual “Dürer Lectures” have become a well established, internationally renowned tradition. Generally, they have been dedicated to changing topics in order to explore the manifold links between the artist, Albrecht Dürer, his work and his influence. This year we would like to address our “Call for Papers” particularly to colleagues from fields bordering on art history and ask them to look at the Dürer topic from their perspectives. The Dürer Lectures are organised by the City of Nuremberg Culture Department, Nuremberg Municipal Museums and the foundation Albrecht-Dürer-Haus-Stiftung-Nürnberg e.V. In 2010, the lectures will be linked with the re-opening of the newly designed exhibition area in Albrecht Dürer’s House which will take the shape of a small gallery presenting original works from the Dürer era linked to the aura of the historical location.
“Networking” - this is only a modern word for a long established practice which helped Albrecht Dürer’s works to be integrated into the dense communication system of European Humanism, so that they became a world event in art history which has fascinated and enthused people until this day. Dürer, through his early active involvement with the medium of books and his life-long activity as editor, illustrator and finally also author, was also familiar with distribution channels and sales markets. He consistently made good use of this knowledge for the world-wide distribution of his graphic works.
Apart from book printing and graphic prints, Dürer was also intensely involved with a further medium which expanded rapidly after 1500: letter writing. Letters gave people a chance to stay in touch, beyond all class barriers, they communicated news from science and cultural life or enabled important personal contacts across the entire European continent. They were often meant for later publication right from the beginning, and were often of a very high literary quality. All this, of course, led to the desire to be in the presence of the personality of the correspondents, not only via their letters, but also through their portraits. This gave rise to two special genres of art, because they were small and handy: graphic prints of portraits and portrait medals which were easy to send by post. Dürer’s masterly engraved portraits of Pirckheimer, Erasmus and Melanchthon are proof of this, as are his designs for the two medals depicting the artist himself - the last authentic portraits of his lifetime.
The individual lectures should not be longer than 30 minutes each, and, as well as meeting academic standards, should also be suitable for a wider public. After the lectures, the programme provides for 15 minutes discussion. We are able to pay a fee of 200 Euros per lecture. We will also bear any travel and hotel expenses. Later publication in a conference volume is envisaged. We are calling for abstracts (approximately 400 words) from the fields of cultural science, history and communication studies, on the following topics:
- media revolution(s)
- culture of correspondence in the Dürer era
- postal services
- Dürer’s links to his Humanist contemporaries
- books and their letters of dedication
- graphic portraits in the Dürer era
- medal portraits
- communication studies.
We will also be happy to consider any other interesting suggestions. Please send your proposals by 14 June 2010 to Thomas Schauerte
Source: H-ArtHist
Tags: Call for Papers by Redazione
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