International Conference on the occasion of the exhibition Schalcken – Painted Seduction
Information from the curator, 15 December 2015
From 25 September 2015 to 24 January 2016 the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne presents the first ever monographic exhibition dedicated to the Dutch painter Godefridus Schalcken (1643-1706). In cooperation with the Dordrechts Museum a second venue will take place in the artist‘s hometown from 21 February to 26 June 2016.
Schalcken – Painted Seduction features roughly one third of the painter‘s known oeuvre. With 80 loans from museums and private collections in Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic and the United States, the show offers a comprehensive look at the fascinating, delicate, and witty art of Schalcken.
Highly successful in his lifetime, acclaimed and sought-after by collectors of the 18th and 19th centuries, Schalcken seems to have suffered unfairly from his popular image as the Master of Candlelight and mere follower of Gerrit Dous’s fijnschilderij – and hence has been easy to dismiss as a fleeting phenomenon. Exhibition and conference seek to update the general view on the artist, thereby stimulating further research.
To open up the discussion and broaden our understanding of the artist the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum is organizing a scholarly meeting from 21 to 23 January 2015 to accompany the exhibition. Financial support is generously granted by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. Themes to be dealt with include case studies on works of Schalcken and his contemporaries, iconographical and stylistic questions, the role of patronage and connoisseurship in the artist’s day, along with technical and conservation issues.
Program and registration
The conference program and more information is also available on wwww.wallraf.museum
Conference Program updated 17 December 2015
Thursday, 21 January 2016
from 15:00 Registration of the Participants
16– 18:00 Visit to the Exhibition
19:00 Key Note Lecture (in German) as part of the Public Lecture Program “Kunstbewusst im Wallraf”:
Peter Hecht, Utrecht: Beschränkung wird Marke – die Spezialisierung in der Malerei des Godefridus Schalcken
Friday, 22 January 2016, Stiftersaal WRM
Godefridus Schalcken – Aspects of His Work and Technology
Chair: Anja K. Sevcik, Cologne
9:00 Welcome by the director, Marcus Dekiert, Cologne
Introduction to the Conference Program by the exhibition curator, Anja K. Sevcik
9:30 Wayne Franits, Syracuse NY: Schalcken in London – Self-Portraiture as Self Promotion
10:15 Eddy Schavemaker, Amsterdam: What’s in a Date? Some Thoughts on the Challenge of Establishing a Chronology for Schalcken’s Œuvre
11:00 Coffee Break
11:30 Adriaan Waiboer, Dublin: Godefridus Schalcken and the Network of Dutch Seventeenth-Century Painters
12:15 Anja K. Sevcik, Cologne: “Boozing, Feasting,Carousing” – a note on Schalcken’s painting of Ceres and possible sources
12:30 Lunch Break
14:00 Betsy Wieseman, London: Savvy, Suave and Stylish – Godefridus Schalcken and the Business of Portraits
14:45 Norbert Middelkoop, Amsterdam : A curious case of copying – Schalcken’s portrait of Joan Corver
15:00 Nicole Elizabeth Cook, New York: From Amoris Causa to Pygmalion’s Creative Dream- Godefridus Schalcken and Theories of Love and Art
15:45 Tea Break
16:15 Quentin Buvelot, The Hague: Format Changes in Painting on Panel by Schalcken and other Fijnschilders
17 -19:00 Visit to the exhibition with discussion of selected works
Saturday, 23 January 2016, Stiftersaal WRM
Godefridus Schalcken – Collectors‘ Passion and Afterlife
Chair: Tico Seifert, Edinburgh
9:00 Introduction: Tico Seifert, Edinburgh
9:15 Jan Six, Amsterdam/London: Schalcken’s Pupil Arnold Boonen
10:00 Yannis Hadjinicolaou, Berlin: Synagonism in Dordrecht – Arent de Gelder´s Handeling and his Network of Friends
10:30 Coffee Break
11:00 Justus Lange, Kassel: “With profoundly expression“ – Landgraf Wilhelm VIII von Hessen Kassel and his appraisal for Schalcken’s work
11:30 Gero Seelig, Schwerin: „So rahr, das man überhaupt in kein Cabinet sie antrifft” – The Quest for Paintings by Schalcken for Schwerin
12:00 Everhard Korthals Altes, Delft : Schalcken in Eighteenth Century-Collections
12.30 Lunch Break
14-14:45 Junko Aono, Fukuoka: In the glow of candlelight – a note on Nicolaas Verkolje’s approach to the art of Godefridus Schalcken
15-16:15 Public Panel Discussion (in German): Godefridus Schalcken – Fascination and Impact
Moderation: Tico Seifert, Curator of the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
Panel :
Gregor J.M. Weber, Head of the Fine and Decorative Arts department at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Peter Hecht, Professor at the Institute for Art History at Utrecht University
Jörg Streichert, Executive Secretary of the Society of Friends of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Museum Ludwig, Cologne
Anja K. Sevcik, Head of the Department of Baroque Painting, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne
16.15 h Farewell Coffee and Tea
The main conference language will be English, attendance is free of charge, but registration via patricia.dietrich(at)wallraf(dot)museum is required.