LECTURES
We offer a series of lectures that explore the history of Dresden and the milestones of it's art with stories meant to entertain and to educate.
Dresden - Collage City
Can we travel through time? Of course we can. Just follow us on our tour through Dresden's history. We start with early Middle Ages when the first German settlers came to found a city as a fording point over the river Elbe. We then experience a flourishing town, which became the residence of the Saxon prince elector in the middle of the 16th century. Much that was created in the next four centuries advertised the singular beauty of the city. No wonder, that when we arrive in the 18th century we are startled by the splendor of baroque court life and the glory of palaces and churches. We witness many artists who have made Dresden into a metropolis of art and culture. We also hear of the terrible destruction of the town in the Seven Year's war (1760) and in WWII. When we travel through the last decades, we find a city of contrasts that we understand more fully now.
The man who tried to outshine the Sun King
When it comes to the contemporary conception of luxury, Louis XIV. of France can take credit for elevating lifestyle to a fine art. With his extensive acquisitions and ambitious projects, the "Sun King" embraced a pattern of conspicuous consumption echoed in Saxony under the reign of August II.. In the case of both kings for example, one cannot distinguish their passion for collecting art from the exercise of power. In our dinner speech we will locate court life and fashion under August II. in the French royal tradition, and discuss him vis-à-vis Louis XIV..
The Sistine Madonna and
the Idea of Absolute Beauty
Of Rafael's many paintings fame touched particularly his sweet, overblown Madonnas: The Madonna della Sedia, the Alba Madonna and the Sistine Madonna. The latter is since 1754 one of the celebrated stars of the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden. This lecture will explore the special conditions of the making of the painting and it's adventurous move to Dresden, which was only possible after hard negotiations with the first owner, a cloister in Piazenca. We will discuss the Madonna in the light of the iconographic tradition of its imagery and focus above all on the literary and social context as sources of inspiration of Raphael. The lecture will also investigate the meaning of the two angels as the chances are high that you already own a Christmas card, a biscuit tin or whatsoever bearing the copy of the two enchanting figures.
Our lectures (modern flash presentations) last approx 30-45 minutes. Prices on enquiry.
