East meets West at the Crossroads of Early Modern Europe

Location:University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
Period:6 -7 September 2007
Deadline for submitting papers: -

In the West, Central/Eastern Europe has tended to be neglected as an area of art historical study, yet it is an area with rich textual & visual sources. This conference presents, for the first time in the UK, the rich artistic and cultural heritage of this part of Europe from the early modern period, presented by academic specialists.

At the turn of the sixteenth century, the Jagiellonian dynasty of Poland ruled four states stretching from the Baltic to the Adriatic, and from Silesia to Transylvania, where the arts flourished. This vast geographic area encompassed different peoples, religions and cultures, which all contributed to the diverse and dynamic character of the arts and architecture of Central/Eastern Europe. Further east lay Muscovy and to the south-east, the Ottoman Empire. Important routes criss-crossed this part of Europe linking the Holy Roman Empire and the West with Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine, and on to the Baltic Sea ports and Constantinople. To the south lay Genoa and Venice, while the Vistula served as an important route northwards to Gdańsk and then to the Netherlands, England and beyond. These communication routes served as conduits for the exchange of artistic ideas, as well as for commodities. They also brought artists from all over Europe resulting in a dynamic artistic milieu of different nationalities and cultures, all making their own contribution and, through collaboration, experimenting with and adapting artistic ideas and techniques.

This conference provides a unique opportunity to hear about Central/Eastern European art and culture of the early modern period from eminent researchers in the field. A re-assessment of this artistic heritage, will allow us to re-integrate the art of Central/Eastern Europe into the pan-European context; this will inform a new interpretation, not only of Central/Eastern Europe art, but also of Western art of the period.

Website: www.sussex.ac.uk/arthistory/1-4-15.html 
Contact:
Dr J.J. Łabno 
e-mail: crossroads@sussex.ac.uk