CLARK ART INSTITUTE PRESENTS JOINT LECTURE ON MYTHOLOGY AND MEANING IN RUBENS

For Immediate Release
September 9, 2016

Williamstown, Massachusetts—Scholars of Northern European art Larry Silver and Aneta Georgievska-Shine present two complementary lectures on the mythological paintings of Peter Paul Rubens at the Clark Art Institute on Sunday, September 25 at 3 pm in the Michael Conforti Pavilion. The lectures are free with paid admission.

In “Hers and His: Rubens’s Royal Mythologies,” Silver discusses Rubens’s different treatment of the gods in two of his most significant royal commissions, the Medici cycle for the Queen of France and Torre de la Parada for King Philip IV. He explores the epic and poetic qualities of the former, versus the demystifying approach in the latter. In “Abducting Europa,” Georgievska-Shine explores Rubens’s faithful copy of Titian’s Europa as a testimony of the special place of this mythological story in Ovid. She also explores Rubens’s status at the Spanish court with regard to both Titian and to Diego Velázquez as the third great master in this triad.

Larry Silver is a specialist in painting and graphics of Northern Europe, particularly Germany and the Netherlands, during the era of Renaissance and Reformation. He has served as president of the College Art Association as well as the Historians of Netherlandish Art. Publications include Rubens, Velázquez, and the King of Spain; The Essential Dürer; Rembrandt’s Faith; Marketing Maximilian; Peasant Scenes and Landscapes; and Hieronymus Bosch.

Aneta Georgievska-Shine, a professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology, University of Maryland, is a scholar of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. As an art historian, her interests range from ancient to contemporary art. She frequently presents lectures for museums and art institutions in the Washington D.C. area. Her publications include scholarly books and numerous articles in American and international journals, as well as essays in exhibition catalogs.

ABOUT THE CLARK

The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 240,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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Clark Art Institute
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413 458 0471