The 16th century was a period of dynamic transformation and development, which witnessed the advent of printing, dramatic religious reform and an extraordinary wave of artistic activity. Rulers and leading families sought to rival one another with increasingly elaborate programmes of patronage, pursuing the best artists of their day, from Dürer and Holbein to Michelangelo and Titian.  

In this introductory session, we will examine the political structure of Europe and the rulers who governed the societies in which art was produced. We will look at competition and rivalry between King Henry VIII in England, King Francis I in France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and focus in particular on the patronage of Popes Julius II and Leo X in Rome.  

We will also evaluate the impact of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation on the visual arts, following Martin Luther’s infamous Ninety-Five Theses of 1517, outlining his criticisms of Catholic church practice, often considered a major catalyst for the ensuing schism within the church. 

This session features a contribution from Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling at the National Gallery, who will discuss the recent moving and rehanging of Sebastiano del Piombo's 'Raising of Lazarus', one of the largest paintings in the collection. We will learn about the work of the Art Handling Department, including current projects as the Gallery prepares to reopen the Sainsbury Wing. 

We explore the Golden Age of Venetian painting, when artists such as Giovanni Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese were working in La Serenissima or “the Most Serene” Venetian Republic. With reference to the National Gallery’s collection, we investigate themes such as the function of art as a means of reflecting Venice’s political harmony; revolutions in technique, and the use of large-scale narrative painting to depict the city’s many processions, festivals, ceremonies and pageants. 

After the break we will be joined by guest speaker Deborah Howard, Professor Emerita of Architectural History at the University of Cambridge, who will chart the course of Venetian interactions with the Levant through trade, pilgrimage and diplomacy, showing how familiarity with the visual culture of the Islamic World infused Venetian architecture during the Renaissance. 

Participants may also be interested in the 'In focus' session on Paolo Veronese, taking place on March 4, led by Siân Walters.

The Renaissance engendered a reawakening of interest in both the human form and character, and the portrait became the most effective visual means of recording this rising awareness of the individual. This was a period in which some of the most imaginative ways of having one's likeness recorded appeared – a time when patrons could literally reinvent themselves through the visual image, and in which artists were given the possibility of transforming the genre and creating ingenious variations on a theme.  

In this session, we explore examples by some of the most influential artists of the period such as Giovanni Bellini, El Greco, Titian and Dürer, with a special focus on Holbein’s masterpiece, 'The Ambassadors'.