Appel à communication : « Protestant Images. Faith and self-image works of art » (Coburg, 9-10 octobre 2017)

Protestant Images. Faith and self-image in printed works of art Organiser: Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg and Forum Bild – Druck – Papier in cooperation with Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte.

The 500th anniversary of Luthers’s posting of the 95 theses is celebrated all over the world. Veste Coburg, where Luther spent half a year during the Diet of Augsburg in 1530, will also be the site of a major exhibition by the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte (Centre of Bavarian history). The international conference is hosted by the Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg and the Forum Bild – Druck – Papier in cooperation with the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte. It takes place on the occasion of the Reformation jubilee and during the exhibition period. The Reformation period is intrinsically linked with the printed portraits of its protagonists. It was the Cranach workshop, first of all, which created works of iconic quality. They defined the public image of Luther and his fellow campaigners. Furthermore, the Reformation period saw the production of an overwhelming amount of polemic and propagandistic illustrated broadsheets. Thus, the Reformation was the first historic turnover which was accompanied and advanced by printed images. In the following centuries the Protestant self-image was likewise expressed in prints, e.g. sheets commemorating the Augsburg Confession or visualizing scenes from the life of Martin Luther. Furthermore, bible illustrations and other biblical images were of great importance. The conference will take a close look at Protestant images from the 16th century to today. The focus is on prints and other works on paper. We welcome papers (20 minutes) on religious and ideological aspects as well as papers focusing on the function and use of such objects. Book illustrations, broadsheets, commemorative sheets and decorative prints are of particular interest here.

Please send an abstract (max. 1 page) plus short CV and publication list to PD Dr. Stefanie Knöll: s.knoell@kunstsammlungen-coburg.de

Deadline is 8. January 2017.