The Dutch and Flemish Golden Age

From the early 16th century onwards, Europe was a religious battlefield as the rise of the reforming Protestant movement threatened the might of the Roman Catholic Church. In Northern Europe, as art ceased to be financed by the patronage of the church, it built on existing genres such as landscape painting, to develop into works designed for an emerging art market, whilst the religious reforms of Henry VIII in England, gave rise to a new style of portraiture. Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church gathered itself together to counter this religious reformation and for the first time, prescribed what art should and should not be about. This in turn gave rise to the Baroque, as it developed new styles of painting, architecture and sculpture which spread with great energy from Rome throughout the whole of Europe. This course will include visits to museums and galleries.