In Rome, Maarten van Heemskerck was not only profoundly impressed by antiquity, but also by the modern art of the Italian Renaissance. He trained himself by copying the works of Pollaiuolo, Raphael, Peruzzi, Bandinelli and, above all, Michelangelo’s frescoes and sculptures. It is of considerable significance that he was particularly attracted to Michelangelo’s idiosyncratic, “wild” forms in such a way that many of the works he created after his return to Haarlem were clearly influenced by them – not only in individual motifs, but as a principle of design.
Lecture by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Horst Bredekamp (in German).
Lecture series
Accompanying the exhibition The Allure of Rome. Maarten van Heemskerck Draws the City is a series of lectures that takes place on Tuesdays. Individual aspects of Van Heemskerck’s work will be addressed and explained. Speakers will talk about the few paintings he created in Rome as well as the influence of Michelangelo, Van Heemskerck’s drawing materials and his approach to ruins in comparison with contemporary depictions by other artists.
- 7 May – Dr. Tatjana Bartsch, Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max-Planck-Institut für Kunstgeschichte: ‘Ruinenfantasien. Maarten van Heemskercks römische Gemälde’
- 28 May – Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Horst Bredekamp: ‘Ganz und gar wild – Van Heemskerck und Michelangelo’
- 6 June – Georg Josef Dietz und Antje Penz, Kupferstichkabinett: ‘Vom Album in die Ausstellung. Maarten van Heemskercks Kleines römisches Zeichnungsbuch 1532–1536/37’
- 18 June – Carsten Wintermann, Klassik Stiftung Weimar: ‘Kunst in der Natur. Die Zeichenmaterialien von Maarten van Heemskerck’
- 16 July – PD Dr. Charlotte Schreiter, LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn: ‘Ruinen, so weit das Auge reicht. Maarten van Heemskerck und die römische Antike’
All lectures are held in German at the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Kulturforum) in Berlin at 18:00 CET.
Advance reservation is required and free for charge. See the museum website for tickets and more information.