A public lecture by Susan Broomhall (The University of Western Australia) at The University of Western Australia
Image: Rembrandt, Rembrandt's Wife and Five Other Heads (1636), Wikimedia Commons
Date: Wednesday 24 July 2019
Time: 6pm
Venue: Fox Lecture Hall, Arts Building, UWA
Register: All welcome.
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This lecture explores how the character of Rembrandt van Rijn is interpreted through place, gender and emotions in museums and heritage sites in the Netherlands today. It focuses on the cities of Leiden and Amsterdam, Rembrandt’s homes, and particularly, the role of women in shaping interpretations of Rembrandt’s life and work. Historical women in Rembrandt’s life are increasingly employed as tools to understand the artist’s mind in creative responses such as Peter Greenaway’s 2006 film Nightwatching or the 2009 Australian opera by Andrew Ford and Sue Smith, Rembrandt’s Wife. This lecture investigates how heritage sites have likewise co-opted Rembrandt’s relationships with women, in a range of ways, in order to increase visitor engagement.
Susan Broomhall is Professor of History at The University of Western Australia. She currently holds an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship. Her research explores women and gender; emotions; science, technologies, and knowledge practices; material culture; cultural contact and global encounters; and the heritage of the early modern world.
This public lecture is part of the 'Rembrandt – 350th Anniversary Lecture Series' presented by the Institute of Advanced Studies at The University of Western Australia and sponsored by the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions.