Location of the course
Bonnefantenmuseum
Avenue Céramique 250, Maastricht
T +31 43 329 0190
Initiators
The Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL – Limburg Conservation Institute) in Maastricht and The Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University.
Course description
A series of lectures and practical workshops will introduce participants to the technical, optical and aesthetic properties of egg tempera and oil paint. The essential characteristics of Southern and Northern European panel painting techniques will be discussed. Based on the study of original paintings on hand in the studios, the influence of painting materials on form and style will be demonstrated.
This year, special emphasis will be put on the imitation of precious metals and metal surfaces. In early painting different effects were achieved applying gilding techniques and so called press-brocades. From the fifteenth century onwards, artists managed to render metal surfaces by only using refined painterly techniques mainly using oil paint as a medium. Especially the paintings of the Flemish Primitives illustrate in a sublime way this change of approach.
During the course, participants will prepare mineral pigments and organic lakes and ake them into paints using different binding media. They will experience gilding techniques and the handling properties and the optical qualities of paints, such as gloss, saturation and transparency, achieved by a combination of traditional binding medium, pigments and layer build-up.
See the website www.amsu.edu/courses/arthistory/ for the detailed program.
Course leaders & guest teachers
Course leaders are Dr. Renate Woudhuysen-Keller (Hamilton Kerr Institute, Cambridge, England) and René Hoppenbrouwers (Limburg Conservation Institute, Maastricht). Technical assistance is provided by Karen Bauer (Painter and Teacher of Fine Arts, Maastricht) and Paul Woudhuysen (Cambridge, England). Guest teachers are Dr. Marc de Mey (University of Gent) and Dr. Arie Wallert (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam).
Application
This course is intended for post-graduate students, professional art historians and conservation scientists with a special interest in painting techniques. Basic manual skills are required but no specific painting experience is needed. Candidates will be selected on the basis of their detailed curriculum vitae and letter of motivation. The course will be in English. The maximum number of participants is 20 and the fee is € 820,-, including lunches and costs of materials. See the website www.amsu.edu/courses/arthistory/ for an application form.
For more information please contact The Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University
P.O. Box 53066
1007 RB Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T +31 20 6200 225
F +31 20 6249 368
E office@amsu.edu