A Long-Standing Rivalry: Northern and Italian Renaissance Art at the Met

In the fall of 2023, New Yorkers were treated to a stunning display of Northern and Italian Renaissance masters in close juxtaposition, when the Met's famous galleries of European Paintings reopened after five years of costly renovations. Seeing paintings by Bruegel, Jan van Eyck, and Rogier van der Weyden next to works by the likes of Antonello da Messina, Andrea Mantegna, and Sandro Botticelli highlighted the distinct qualities of both Northern and Italian Renaissance art as well as the two regions' long-standing rivalry. In fact, Flemish painters of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries not only competed with but in many ways outperformed their Italian counterparts. Flanders was considered "chic" in elevated Italian circles of the period, and Medici bankers and Italian wool merchants who had settled in Bruges frequently bought and sent Flemish paintings to their headquarters in Florence. In 1428, Jan van Eyck, then a court painter for the Duke of Burgundy, traveled all the way to Lisbon to paint a portrait of Isabella of Portugal. In 1450, Rogier van der Weyden, passing through Florence, was hired by the Medici family to paint not one but two major altarpieces. As these examples demonstrate, the influence of Flemish artists extended far beyond their homeland, shaping the artistic landscape of Europe at a time when Italian art was still considered the pinnacle of artistic achievement. The debate over which artistic school was superior, Italian or Flemish, went on for centuries, with both sides making compelling arguments. The exchange of ideas and techniques between these two artistic traditions ultimately resulted in a rich and varied artistic legacy. The Met's recently renovated European Painting galleries offer us a unique opportunity to study in depth evidence of the rich cross-fertilization between Northern and Southern Europe. This course includes several field trips to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Continuing Education Units (CEU) : 1

You'll walk away with

• Familiarity with the masterpieces of famous artists from the Renaissance
• An understanding of the cultural, economic, and political context of Renaissance art
• Knowledge about the competition and cross-fertilization of ideas and techniques between Northern and Southern European artists
• A new appreciation for the newly renovated European Paintings Gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ideal for

• Art enthusiasts
• Aspiring and practicing arts professionals