The international symposium The Art of Peace celebrates the opening of the new Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion for Peace at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. In keeping with the theme of the pavilion and the strengths of the Hornstein collection in areas of still life and landscape especially, the event is framed around the subject of peace, broadly construed. From art theorist Karel van Mander’s dictum that painting loves peace and prosperity, to Hegel’s claim that Dutch paintings of everyday scenes depict the joys of a Sunday of life, to Svetlana Alpers’ assertion that the descriptive visual mode was a way to handle strife, Dutch and Flemish painting has long been perceived as a peaceful art. The invited speakers will address specific works in the collection in order to interrogate the connections between between peace, conflict, and painting.
An international symposium organized by Angela Vanhaelen, Stephanie Dickey, and Jacquelyn N. Coutré, with participation by:
- Prof. Jan Blanc (University de Geneva)
- Dr. Jacquelyn N. Coutré (Agnes Etherington Art Centre)
- Dr. Blaise Ducos (Musée du Louvre)
- Dr. Hilliard Goldfarb (Montreal Museum of Fine Arts)
- Prof. Julie Hochstrasser (University of Iowa)
- Prof. Elizabeth Honig (University of California, Berkeley)
- Prof. Denis Ribouillault (University of Montreal)
- Dr. Betsy Wieseman (National Gallery, London)
For more information see http://theartofpeace2017.weebly.com/
Christian Luycks (1623-1670), Banquet Still Life with Silver and Gilt Vessels, a Nautilus Shell, Porcelain, Food and Other Items on a Draped Table, ca. 1650
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts