Fust and Schoeffer's corporate device, from Invention and Discovery
Invention and Discovery: Printed Books from 15th century Europe, Bridwell Library, through May 3, 2010
Royal Splendors in the Enlightenment: Charles IV of Spain, Patron and Collection, Meadows Museum, through July 18, 2010
Miraculously, I’ve managed to spend four of the past seven days looking at art. So many choices for blog material, especially when it is typically so hard for me to get out to see any art.
I decided on two jewels currently on view at SMU. It makes me realize what a treasure the University is and how little exposure its exhibitions garner. The two shows I saw on campus are both mindblowingly wonderful.
Having just finished teaching a course on medieval illuminated manuscripts, I looked forward to seeing Invention and Discovery: Printed Books from 15th century Europe at Bridwell Library. It is the perfect sequel to my course. When we hear about Gutenberg and moveable type, there is a tendency to think that book illumination died the day the first page rolled off a press. However, this exhibition shows the gradual transition from one into the other. While paper was a less expensive material than vellum, many early books were still printed on this finer material. Other books show their transition between handmade and machine printed with illuminated elements. Since imagery had been a part of the medieval tradition, especially in luxury manuscripts, we see how less expensive knock-offs came into being, using hand tinted woodblock prints. Almost equally amazing is the fact that the library owns many of these incredibly rare books.
Among my favorite documents is an Indulgence printed for the Jubilee of 1480. This basically amounted to a get-of-jail-free card for sinners. The document itself is not that visually striking - the fact that it has survived all these centuries is remarkable.
There are so many wonderful books and broadsides in this exhibition. To learn more about them, join me for a tour of the exhibition on April 17th. Watch the tours page for more details.
Once you are on campus, don’t miss the exhibition at the Meadows Museum, Royal Splendors in the Enlightenment: Charles IV of Spain, Patron and Collector. What a fabulous collection of royal stuff. The work screams, “It’s good to be King/Queen”. So much opulence. Just take the Banquet Piece, a 3’-4‘ long re-creation of an idealized Roman forum, fashioned from marble, lapis lazuli, precious stones and other rich material. It is stunning. Imagine it adorning dining tables, festooned with fruit and delectables. Another unusual and magnificent object is a gilded birdcage, which in and of itself it beautiful. But a mirror placed under it shows visitors that it is also a clock, with its face on the bottom of the cage. Wow! Never seen anything like that one. Amid all this, there is also a beautiful collection of paintings, sculpture and textiles. It is a rich, elegant show that I hope people will come to see, especially since this is the only museum outside of Spain where it will be shown.
So my advice of the day is don’t overlook SMU when thinking about cultural options in the city. While parking seems daunting, the lot under the Meadows is free for Museum members. Aside from the Museum’s great programming, it is worth it to join for this benefit alone. It, and the Bridwell Library, are two gems worth keeping on your radar.
