The Birth of Mass Media: Printmaking in Early Modern Europe

In the digital age, when images and films can be streamed with lightning speed onto computers at the press of a button, it is hard to fathom the society-altering impact the new printed image had when it first appeared in Europe around 1400. The introduction of printed images or repeatable pictorial statements irrevocably changed the practice of manually producing images one by one, by making them available in identical form, as multiple examples printed onto paper, a material that was newly available in Europe. Such multiples appeared first as independent images, then as book illustrations, but either way, this process of producing multiple originals and the ability to print as many examples as desired inexorably changed the art and culture of the time and the art and culture to come. Early prints learned from and drew on a variety of past arts and crafts that were made exclusively by hand. Such earlier images, especially panel paintings and manuscript illuminations, were often stunningly beautiful, but they were labor-intensive and costly. The new printed image continued the two-dimensionality and other aspects of such medieval art including size (small to medium), subjects (mostly Christian), the importance of added color, and even typefaces, initials, and compositions for printed books. Yet the printed image, due to its ability to be multiplied and coupled with less expensive materials, namely paper—instead of wooden panels or the animal skin called vellum or parchment used for manuscripts—opened new possibilities by offering more affordable images and more of them. Such works included over the course of the early modern period new subjects, more sophisticated images, and works in new forms (for example, broadsheets and pamphlets), all of which reached a larger audience. This essay considers the three major print techniques of the early modern period and discusses representative examples, showing how prints both continued and broke with past traditions, and exploring print practices and paper, prints’ subjects, numbers, and early collections. It hopes to show how prints changed two-dimensional art in early modern culture by expanding the possibilities of what it meant to be a visual image, at a time that saw the transition from hand to machine during the early modern print revolution. [Includes supplemental artwork.

Art during the Reign of Rudolf II as Quintessence of Leading Mannerism Trend at Prague Art Center

This article is devoted to Rudolfine art as one of the style-forming components and a significant trend in European Mannerism of the 16-17th centuries. A general overview of this style, necessary preconditions that led to its emergence in the artistic culture of Europe, Mannerism major trends and its vectors of spreading in Europe, the role of Rudolfine artists in this process, are laid out in this work. We emphasized the lack of adequate research made in the field of Art History. The personal influence of Emperor Rudolf II on the formation of court art at that time was pointed out. We looked into the background and circumstances at which the Prague Art Center was established by the Emperor and how he provided patronage to the arts and science. The importance of works by prominent artists of the Rudolfine era who worked at the Prague Art Center is highlighted. The main directions of Mannerism distribution through European countries, mainly its further adaptation and style transformation depending on the geographical location, grounds on why the art was so influenced by the Italian movement, the approach and tools of Mannerism in one of the leading European courts. The main characteristics of the Rudolfine art style is highlighted. Its main representatives are defined and their individual creative styles are separately analyzed, including Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Roelant Savery, Bartholomeus Spranger, Joris Hoefnagel, Adriaen de Vries, Joseph Heintz the Elder, and Hans von Aachen. It is pointed out that there was a tendency in the synthesis of Italian, French, and German trends which formed the foregrounds of individual styles of major representatives in Rudolfine art that have been a significant element of Mannerism. General characteristics of stylistic features of Rudolfine artists as representatives of Mannerism who contributed to its fast proliferation in Europe are laid out.Стаття присвячена феномену рудольфінізму як одному з стильоутворюючих компонентів та значному явищу європейського маньєризму межі 16 та 17 ст. Подано загальну характеристику феномену, виокремлені передумови його виникнення в художній культурі Європи, основні складові, вектори розповсюдження маньєризму європейськими теренами та роль у цьому процесі творчості рудольфінців. Наглошено на незадовільному стані дослідженості проблеми у мистецтвознавстві, передусім – пострадянського простору. Акцентовано значення особистості імператора-мецената Рудольфа ІІ у формуванні характеру придворної культури доби, намічено обставини утворення празького художнього центру при дворі монарха-покровителя науки та мистецтв. Акцентовано значення творчості майстрів, які були найхарактернішими представниками рудольфінського мистецтва і працювали при празькому художньому центрі за доби правління Рудольфа ІІ. Намічені головні вектори швидкого поширення маньєризму, тобто географія поліфуркаціі стилю, його тріумфальної ходи європейськими землями, причини об-італення художньої культури, його механізми й інструменти при одному з провідних європейських дворів. Виділено основні стильові характеристики рудольфінського мистецтва, визначено його основних представників, творчі манери яких стали предметом самостійного аналізу: Дж. Арчімбольдо, Р. Саверея, Й. Спрангера, Й. Хофнагеля, А.де Вріса, Й. Хайнца Ст., Г. фон Аахена. Виділено тенденцію до синтезу італійського, французького, німецького впливів як основи творчої манери провідних представників рудольфінського мистецтва, значного сегмента маньєризму. Дано загальну характеристику стилістичних рис творчості представників рудольфінізму як носіїв рис маньєризму, що сприяють його швидкому поширенню по Європі.Статья посвящена феномену рудольфинизма как одному из стилеобразующих компонентов и значительному явлению европейского маньеризма пределы 16 и 17 ст. Представлена ​​общая характеристика феномена, выделены предпосылки его возникновения в художественной культуре Европы, основные составляющие, векторы распространения маньеризма европейскими территориями и роль в этом процессе творчества рудольфинцев. Показано неудовлетворительное состояние изученности проблемы в искусствоведении, прежде всего - постсоветского пространства. Акцентировано значение личности императора-мецената Рудольфа II в формировании характера придворной культуры эпохи, намечено обстоятельства образования пражского художественного центра при дворе монарха-покровителя науки и искусств. Акцентировано значение творчества мастеров, которые были наиболее характерными представителями рудольфинського искусства и работали при пражском художественном центре в эпоху правления Рудольфа II в. Намеченные главные векторы быстрого распространения маньеризма, то есть география полифуркации стиля, его триумфального шествия европейскими землями, причины о-италення художественной культуры, его механизмы и инструменты при одном из ведущих европейских дворов. Выделены основные стилевые характеристики рудольфинського искусства, определены его основные представители, творческие манеры которых стали предметом самостоятельного анализа Дж. Арчимбольдо, Р. Саверея, И. Спрангера, И. Хофнагеля, А. де Вриса, И. Хайнца ст., Г. фон Аахена. Выделена тенденция к синтезу итальянского, французского, немецкого влияния как основы творческой манеры ведущих представителей рудольфинського искусства, значительного сегмента маньеризма. Дана общая характеристика стилистических черт творчества представителей рудольфинизму как носителей рис маньеризма, способствующих его быстрому распространению по Европе

“A whole chapel cast and engraved with images”: New Perspectives on the Tomb of Saint Sebald in Nuremberg

This dissertation critiques the concept of art-historical periodization through a monographic study of the brass tomb of St. Sebald in the Church of St. Sebald in Nuremberg, Germany. From the time it was designed and cast between 1488 and 1519 by the Vischer family workshop, this object has been considered a sculptural masterpiece, often called the first Renaissance sculpture north of the Alps. And yet, it has not been the subject of a monograph since 1970. The tomb is unique; no other saint’s tomb from the Holy Roman Empire displays such a dominant use of architectural forms. No other is cast in costly brass. No other employs classical and pagan motifs and ornament. And no other saint’s tomb remains preserved in a Protestant church. The Vischer family executed the tomb at a time when certain Nuremberg artists and intellectuals became interested in the forms of the Italian Renaissance, and the tomb displays an arresting blend of traditional Gothic, Germanic elements and Italianate figure types and themes. It is an object that preserves a period of transformation for a great city in visual form. Through examination of the specific religious, economic, political, and cultural context in which the tomb was commissioned, the formal vocabularies employed in its design, the technology that was harnessed to cast it, and the ways observers have reacted to it throughout history, I distance the work from assumptions made by previous scholars intent on viewing the work as a Renaissance sculpture deeply indebted to Italianate notions about art and artists. The first chapter of this dissertation considers the specific ways in which the Vischer workshop cast the tomb of St. Sebald, and the relationship of those techniques to the rest of the workshop’s objects, other founders in Nuremberg, and traditional casting techniques in German-speaking lands. The second chapter examines the tomb of St. Sebald as a site of saintly veneration, examining the ritual and economic aspects of the cult of St. Sebald in Nuremberg in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century and the ways these factors may have affected the form and function of the brass tomb monument. My third chapter discusses the formal elements of the tomb, considering not only the classicizing ornament and pagan narratives, but also the ways that the Vischers employed traditional Gothic structural and decorative programs. This chapter also considers the specific motivations the patrons of the tomb may have had in encouraging these elements, and how they play off one another in a way that conforms to traditional hagiographic narratives. Finally, the fourth chapter traces the circulation of plaster casts of the whole tomb and its parts in the nineteenth century as a way to understand how the tomb and related objects were used to construct a sense of German national identity at the dawn of Germany as a unified nation. Through these various strands of investigation, a clearer picture of the role the tomb of St. Sebald played both in the time and place of its creation and the centuries of its continued existence will emerge, distinct from generalized conceptions of medieval or Renaissance artistic production

Logistics management for disaster recovery

Die 35. Veranstaltung der AG Logistik und Verkehr der Gesellschaft für Operations Research fand im Juni 2004 an der Helmut-Schmidt-Universität Hamburg statt, wo sich die Teilnehmer intensiv mit der Problematik der „Logistik im Einsatz- und Katastrophenmanagement“ auseinandersetzten. Insgesamt dreizehn Referenten vermittelten eine aktuelle Übersicht zu Anwendungen, Modellen und technologischen Entwicklungen für die Planung und Steuerung der Logistik im Katastrophenfall

Art during the Reign of Rudolf II as Quintessence of Leading Mannerism Trend at Prague Art Center

This article is devoted to Rudolfine art as one of the style-forming components and a significant trend in European Mannerism of the 16-17th centuries. A general overview of this style, necessary preconditions that led to its emergence in the artistic culture of Europe, Mannerism major trends and its vectors of spreading in Europe, the role of Rudolfine artists in this process, are laid out in this work. We emphasized the lack of adequate research made in the field of Art History. The personal influence of Emperor Rudolf II on the formation of court art at that time was pointed out. We looked into the background and circumstances at which the Prague Art Center was established by the Emperor and how he provided patronage to the arts and science. The importance of works by prominent artists of the Rudolfine era who worked at the Prague Art Center is highlighted. The main directions of Mannerism distribution through European countries, mainly its further adaptation and style transformation depending on the geographical location, grounds on why the art was so influenced by the Italian movement, the approach and tools of Mannerism in one of the leading European courts. The main characteristics of the Rudolfine art style is highlighted. Its main representatives are defined and their individual creative styles are separately analyzed, including Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Roelant Savery, Bartholomeus Spranger, Joris Hoefnagel, Adriaen de Vries, Joseph Heintz the Elder, and Hans von Aachen. It is pointed out that there was a tendency in the synthesis of Italian, French, and German trends which formed the foregrounds of individual styles of major representatives in Rudolfine art that have been a significant element of Mannerism. General characteristics of stylistic features of Rudolfine artists as representatives of Mannerism who contributed to its fast proliferation in Europe are laid out

Armourers and their workshops The tools and techniques of late medieval armour production

This thesis is an interdisciplinary study of medieval armour, with the goal of determining the precise techniques used by medieval armourers in the practice of their craft. The corpus for this research is from the collection of the Royal Armouries, as well as a selection of objects from other museums, with a focus on German and Italian armour between 1400 and 1500. The thesis makes use of a new methodology by which the armour itself is used as a primary source, in essence a text, using the interpretation of tool marks left on its surfaces. Although metallurgical studies have been undertaken on armour, the marks have not been systematically studied in the past and provide a means by which the techniques of the medieval armourer may be identified. The thesis also makes use of inventories, artwork, and experimental hammerwork to more accurately understand the workshop environment. Inventories show the variety of tools required in the workshop, as well as what would have been available to an armourer. Artwork showing armourers engaged in their craft is used to interpret some patterns of tool marks as well as identification of certain tools and techniques. The experimental work undertaken was used to recreate particular types of marks and patterns, demonstrating the relation between tools, processes, and the shapes of armour. The research demonstrates that it is possible, using this method, to reconstruct the ways that armourers worked, something that has been largely conjectural previously. This approach to armour studies has not been attempted before and has allowed for several specific questions to be answered. These include finding differences in working techniques of armourers from different regions, the ability to determine if certain unmarked objects were made by the same armourer, changing methods of construction, and whether a piece is a fake or authentic