Trinity College Dublin History of Art Alumni Newsletter 2015

Department of

History of Art and Architecture Newsletter 2015-2016

Inside Alumni News page 2

News from TRIARC page 3

Departmental Activities page 4

Departmental Study Trip page 5

Publications page 6

Events 2015-16 page 7

Department of History of Art and Architecture School of Histories and Humanities

Newsletter 2015 – 2016

Message from the Head of Department As Head of Department, I am pleased to present our annual alumni newsletter. This edition of the newsletter provides an overview of activities that have taken place in 2014-15, a busy year for staff and students. It includes news from TRIARC, new staff publications and details of the annual departmental study trip to Florence and Tuscany, which took place during Reading Week. The Department also continued the immensely successful GradLink Mentoring Programme and we wish to thank all graduates who so kindly gave of their time to participate. The 2014-15 Annual Alumni Event took place on 20 November with a fascinating lecture delivered by Professor Lawrence Nees of the Department of Art History at the University of Delaware.

Professor Nees was in Ireland together with a number of other internationally renowned art historians to celebrate the launch of the Royal Irish Academy Art and Architecture of Ireland.

This year our Annual Alumni Event will focus upon the Diploma in the History of European Painting. The Diploma and Scholarship was established in 1934 on foot of a presentation from the artist Sarah Purser and Sir John Griffith, a distinguished civil engineer and TCD alumnus. Awards were made by TCD and UCD on the basis of an annual examination with the aim of encouraging the study of the History of Art. The examination was based upon a course of public lectures organised in the first instance by

Thomas Bodkin, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, who delivered the first course of lectures in the academic year 1934-5 while Honorary Professor of the History of Fine Arts at Trinity. The Diploma was first awarded at Trinity in October 1935. In that year, lectures were delivered by Françoise Henry of UCD, and later by Anne Crookshank, in the newly established Department at Trinity College Dublin. Since then more than 700 candidates have taken the Diploma at Trinity College and many more have audited the lectures.

Through the continued efforts of Trinity and UCD, the vision of Sarah Purser and Sir John Griffith has been amply realised and the Purser-Griffith Diploma and Scholarship have extended art-historical knowledge and appreciation far beyond the walls of the University.

We hope that you will join with us in November in celebrating eighty years of Purser-Griffith art education in Ireland. Our Annual Alumni Event will take place on Thursday 19th November 2015 at 6pm in the Emmet Theatre followed by a wine reception in the Exam Hall.

Christine Casey Head of Department of History of Art and Architecture

Diploma in the History of European Painting The success of the Diploma course is reflected in its longevity and sustained popularity. Over the years it has attracted students of all ages from various social and cultural backgrounds, both national and international. It has also provided an important gateway for further academic study in the History of Art. For many of our graduates, the Diploma has served as a platform to begin, or to return to, third level undergraduate education or, increasingly, to continue with post graduate study and research, both at masters and PhD level. Former Diploma graduates have gone on to contribute significantly to art historical scholarship in Ireland and others have worked in leading cultural institutions both in Ireland and abroad.

Among the most rewarding outcomes of the course is the number of close friendships that have been formed among graduates, resulting in the creation of a strong, vibrant social and cultural network. Over the years, former students have travelled together to exhibitions in Ireland and abroad. This continuing activity realises the aims and objectives of lifelong learning.

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Graduates of the Diploma in European Painting 2014. Left to right: Noel J. Healy, Valerie Sheehan, Ray Bolger, Anne Egan and Emma Culleton

Members of the 2014 Diploma Class at the Musée d’Orsay

Department of History of Art and Architecture School of Histories and Humanities

News from TRIARC In April 2015, the MPhil students of 2013-14 were conferred with their degrees. It was a beautiful day and the Provost made his garden available for the occasion. Kerstina Mortensen was awarded the Crookshank-Glin Prize for the best dissertation, achieving a first class honour. Kerstina is now a PhD candidate in the Department and has recently been awarded an IRC post-graduate scholarship.

Left to right: Peter Prendergast; Katie McGale; Kerstina Mortensen; Vita Ryan; Dr Yvonne Scott (course director); Paul Donnelly; William Earley; Sarah Coates; Joseph Killick; Dr Ellen Rowley (module director)

Events Numerous events took place during the past year, commencing with a public lecture at Trinity by O’Donnell+Tuomey in the wake of the award of a RIBA Gold medal for their contribution to architecture.

Among their achievements is the sensitive restoration of the Provost’s House Stables, home of TRIARC. To see more, click on: http://odonnell-tuomey.ie/portfolio-item/ provost-stables-trinity-provosts-stables/

In January 2015 Ellen Rowley, TRIARC/ White Family Post-doctoral Fellow, hosted a highly successful symposium entitled What can the Digital do for Architecture and its History in Ireland? TRIARC was a sponsor of the Harry Clarke Studios Symposium convened in February by Dr Marta Bustillo for DRIS/Trinity Library, with contributions from Angela Griffith, Yvonne Scott and MPhil graduate Paul Donnelly who is working on the Harry Clarke studios commissions in the US.

Sean Lynch, Ireland’s representative at the 2015 Venice Biennale, gave a lecture in February to a capacity audience organized by TRIARC under the School’s research theme Making Ireland. In March, the Shadows and Lights annual symposium was dedicated to Camille Souter, who was conferred with an honorary Doctorate from the University in June 2015. Public lectures were given by Angela Griffith and Ruth Sheehy on the Trinity Week theme of Light, in association with the Department of Physics.

Colour design for unidentified Clarke Studios stained glass window: Saints Brigid, Patrick and Columbanus. Materials from the collection can be found in http://digitalcollections.tcd.ie/home/ 3

Newsletter 2015 – 2016

Departmental Activities 2014-15 History Books in the Anglo-Norman World In May, the Department hosted an international conference devoted to history books in the Anglo-Norman world. The writing of history became an increasingly popular activity from the eleventh century onwards and surviving manuscripts are frequently embellished with painted images.

Since 2011, Laura Cleaver has directed an ambitious research project on the topic, funded through Europe by the Marie Curie Programme. The conference was thus the culmination of four years of intense activity, attracting participants from as far away as Tennessee and St Petersburg.

TCD ms 177, fol 38.

Matthew Paris, Life of St Alban: The Death of St Alban.

Thanks to the force of the executioner’s sword, Alban’s head ends up in a tree, while at the same moment the executioner’s eye balls drop out; remarkably, he still has the presence of mind to catch them.

Over the two days there was much to discuss and the sessions produced plenty of vigorous debate. A theme that came up repeatedly was the extent to which authors wrote about the past with a firm eye on the present. A talk of particular interest for Trinity participants came from Laura Slater, a research fellow in the Department in the early stages of the project.

She considered one of Trinity’s most treasured possessions, the thirteenthcentury Life of St Alban, written and illustrated by Matthew Paris, one of the foremost historians of medieval England.

To accompany the conference, the Library mounted an exhibition from Trinity’s own collection of history manuscripts, which the delegates examined at a convivial reception in the Long Room at the end of the first day.

Connoisseurship at the Cutting Edge Since 2012, Peter Cherry has been a member of the vetting committee for oldmaster paintings from Southern Europe at The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) annual commercial art fair at Maastricht, internationally regarded as one of the most important events of its kind.

Over two days, the vetting committees groups made up of museum curators and academics who are experts in their fields - are tasked to look at the works offered on all of the dealers’ stands in order to weed out pictures in a compromisingly poor state of conservation and to check attributions, with the aim of ensuring the overall quality and prestige of the fair, as well as the confidence of purchasers.

A lot of money changes hands at Maastricht. Vetting committees are, however, rightfully unpaid, receiving travel expenses, lunch and an inaugural dinner, and, during working days, unlimited cups of coffee and occasional excellent Belgian

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The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) annual commercial art fair at Maastricht

pastries. Committees have full run of the fair; all dealers, press and members of the public are excluded until late afternoon on the second day. The enjoyment of meeting up with colleagues – as well as some former students now working in the market – and seeing some of the best works of art for sale are their own rewards. Committees field overly optimistic attributions, creative “restorations”, ambiguous documentation, and miraculously re-discovered signatures,

though these are rare exceptions to the general rule of the professional integrity of the dealerships. Most of the time is spent discussing attributions and work culminates in the appeals session, when dealers have the opportunity to defend themselves against the committee’s decisions. What fun that can be!

Department of History of Art and Architecture School of Histories and Humanities

Departmental Study Trip In February of this year, Christine Casey and Angela Griffith led a group of 40 undergraduate students on a study visit to Florence, Siena, Arezzo, Parma and Cararra.

Florence was the base for the visit, which took place during Reading Week.

Students visited the principal galleries of Florence and many Renaissance buildings including the Palazzo Scala and the Villa Medici at Poggio ai Caiano.

The Departmental Study Trip was supported by the Mainie Jellett fund which provided financial assistance to students and supported coach travel to Carrara, Arezzo and Siena. The Purser family have recently added generously to the fund by contributing royalties due on the art work of Mainie Jellett

Eimear Nic Caba, Senior Sophister student, sketching at the Pitti Palace.

Detail of Eimear’s drawing shown here

Students at the Carrara marble quarries prior to a visit to the Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara

Students listening attentively in Santa Croce, Florence; student drawing of Brunelleschi’s Santo Spirito. Among the highlights of the trip were a visit to a working quarry at Carrara (on the day before seeing Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia) and an impromptu detour through hillside olive groves to the parish church of Carmignano to see Pontormo’s marvellous Visitation. Proceedings concluded with a hotly contested quiz, art historical charades and singing on the steps of San Lorenzo. Happy days!

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Newsletter 2015 – 2016

Publications The Art and Architecture of Ireland The major publication of 2014-15 was The Art and Architecture of Ireland produced for the Royal Irish Academy and published in five volumes by Yale University Press. Six of the ten editors are alumni, staff or research staff of the Department. Pictured here at the launch in November 2015 from left to right are Nicola Figgis, editor of volume 2, Rachel Moss, editor of volume 1 and Catherine Marshall, joint editor of volume 6.

The Art and Architecture of Ireland provides a panoramic and authoritative view of Irish art and architecture since the Middle Ages. An electronic version of the series is to be made available to schools free of charge. This remarkable scholarly resource, unprecedented in scope and ambition, was made possible through the support of the Naughton Foundation and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Illuminated Psalters at Trinity College Dublin and the Chester Beatty Library The Psalter, or Book of Psalms, was at the heart of devotional practice in the medieval west, and survives in many richly decorated copies.

As songs believed to have been composed by King David, one of Christ’s ancestors, the Psalms were particularly appropriate texts with which to praise or cry out to God. The Psalms were recited in the continual cycle of church services, with all 150 Psalms often being performed over the course of a week. Eleven Latin Psalter manuscripts (together with some fragments) are preserved in Trinity College Library, and these, together with the Psalters from the Chester Beatty Library, are the subject of a new book by Laura Cleaver and Helen Conrad O’Briain (Four Courts Press). The book contains essays about the Psalter and the library collections, together with a catalogue of the manuscripts with illustrations of each volume.

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Department of History of Art and Architecture School of Histories and Humanities

Events 2015-16 22-26 September 2015 IMPACT9 2015 This year, Cork Printmakers, one of Ireland’s leading print studios, are represented at the major international print symposium, IMPACT9 in Hangzhou, China. The theme of the symposium is ‘Printmaking in the Post-Print Age: print as art versus print as technology’.

Following an open submission on the theme, the work of 12 national and international artists was selected by Angela Griffith. For further information please contact griffiam@tcd.ie 30 September 2015 - 6 March 2016 The Chapel Royal, Dublin Castle: A Bicentennial Celebration An exhibition of artefacts relating to the Chapel will run at the State Apartments until March. The project is led by Mary Heffernan and curated by Myles Campbell and William Derham. For more information please contact Myles Campbell or William Derham at (01) 6458813 or at dublincastle@opw.ie

8-9 October 2015 Designing Commemoration: Performance, Process and Participation This event is presented by the MA Festive Arts programme at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick and TRIARC: the Irish Art Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin. This two-day conference takes place in the University of Limerick and Trinity College Dublin.

Convened in the context of the ongoing ‘Decade of Commemorations’, this event looks at the role of visual art, architecture, music, and performance in commemoration and commemorative activities. For a full programme and registration details, see designingcommemoration.wordpress.com November 2015 State of the Art: Art and Architecture – History, Research, and Teaching The Department of History of Art and Architecture and STA:AART will host a roundtable session in November 2015. All those involved in teaching, researching and curating visual disciplines across educational levels are welcome. The purpose of the session is to examine and question current visual discipline pedagogy, to discuss the

use and impact of digital technologies on teaching and to establish a community of practice among those involved in same.

The event will be convened by Angela Griffith and Danielle O’Donovan. For further information please contact griffiam@tcd.ie 17 January 2016 George Petrie Commemoration A symposium is planned to mark the sesquicentenary of the death of George Petrie. For further information please contact Philip McEvansoneya PMCEVANS@tcd.ie 20-24 June 2016 Summer School in the History of Art and its Methods The Department of History of Art, TCD, will run a summer school aimed at those involved in teaching and promoting visual culture. The course will appeal to teachers at primary and post primary level and those employed in education programmes with cultural institutions. The course will comprise of a series of morning lectures and afternoon workshops. The course will also include site visits. Lectures will be open to the wider public and those interested in the programme should email Angela Griffith at griffiam@tcd.ie

Upcoming Annual Alumni Event The Purser-Griffith Diploma at 80 Our Annual Alumni Event will take place on Thursday 19 November 2015 at 6pm in the Emmet Theatre followed by a wine reception in the Exam Hall. This evening of art history, memory and reflection celebrates the establishment of the Purser-Griffith lectures at Trinity College Dublin 80 years ago. Concluding address: Carmel Naughton.

Reserve your place online at: www.tcd.ie/alumni/news-events/upcoming or rsvp by 2 November to arthist@tcd.ie or Tel: 896 1162

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New MPhil Programme

The School of Histories and Humanities by Numbers

35 9 Our new MPhil programme, ART + IRELAND begins in September 2015. This oneyear (or two-years part-time) postgraduate course will give students the opportunity to 4 engage with works of art and architecture from the Middle Ages to the present day and aims to consider the art and architecture of Ireland in the international context. Courses include modules on religious art in Ireland (Peter Cherry), the interpretation of Ireland’s built heritage (Christine Casey), Ireland and France (Philip McEvansoneya), medieval monastic Ireland (Rachel Moss) and themes in contemporary Irish art (Yvonne Scott).

Full-time academic members of staff 120 Research Students 60 Taught Postgraduate Students

Departments working closely together in teaching and research: • History • History of Art and Architecture • Classics • Gender and Women’s Studies

For more information, log on to www.tcd.ie/History_of_Art/postgraduate/ mphil/art-history or contact Dr Laura Cleaver (cleaverl@tcd.ie)

Research Centres: • Trinity Irish Art Research Centre (TRIARC) • Medieval History Research Centre • Centre for Early Modern History • Centre for Contemporary Irish History • Centre for Irish, Scottish and Comparative Studies • Centre for War Studies • Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies • Centre for Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies • Centre for the Study of the Platonic Tradition

The School of Histories and Humanities enjoys an international research profile in a wide range of disciplines and subject areas.

Valued highly in international subject rankings, the School is home to 35 academic members of staff who are dedicated to research-led teaching, ready to listen to students’ ideas and open to interdisciplinary approaches. The School frequently hosts international conferences and runs six major research seminars.

These provide a forum for scholars and postgraduate students from all over the world to exchange ideas. Our academics also play an active role in many of Ireland’s leading research centres, nine of which are located within the School.

Contact us and find out more Email: arthist@tcd.ie Telephone: +353 1 896 1995 Website: www.tcd.ie/History_of_Art/postgraduate/

A great location Established in 1592, Trinity College Dublin is one of Europe’s oldest and one of the world’s most distinguished universities.

It provides an environment where independence of thought is highly valued and where students and staff are nurtured as individuals and are encouraged to achieve their full potential. Today Trinity College is home to a vibrant community of 17,000 students from all over the world. Its historic campus, located in the heart of Dublin, provides easy access to a wealth of museums, libraries, theatre, art, music, literature and festivals. As a major railway and airline hub, Dublin is a gateway to the rest of Ireland, Europe and the world.

Dublin

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ART

+

IRELAND

Remember. The power of a legacy to Trinity There’s an old saying that the true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade one does not expect to sit. When you leave a legacy to Trinity however big or small, you’re planting a tree which will grow to provide shelter to many.

You’re empowering ground-breaking research which will benefit people in Ireland and all over the world. You’re supporting students from all backgrounds to access a Trinity education. You’re

helping preserve our unique campus and heritage for new generations.

When you remember Trinity in your will, you join a tradition of giving that stretches back over 400 years – and reaches far into the future. For more information about leaving a Legacy to Trinity, please contact Eileen Punch.

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