Dieter Blume | Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (original) (raw)
PROF. DR. DIETER BLUME
Studium der Kunstgeschichte, Geschichte und Ethnologie an der Universität Heidelberg;
Promotion 1981 mit der Arbeit „Wandmalerei als Ordenspropaganda. Bildprogramme im Chorbereich franziskanischer Konvente Italiens bis zur Mitte des 14. Jahrhunderts“ (publ. 1983);
Konzeption der Ausstellung „Natur und Antike in der Renaissance“ im Liebieghaus, Frankfurt/Main 1985;
Habilitation an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in München 1991;
Lehre an den Universitäten München, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Zürich sowie Baltimore/USA (John Hopkins Univ.);
Seit 1994 Professor an der Friedrich Schiller Universität in Jena.
2003/04 Richard-Krautheimer-Gastprofessur an der Bibliotheca Hertziana, Max-Planck-Institut für Kunstgeschichte, in Rom.
Leiter des Forschungsprojektes „Bild und Wissenschaft – Geschichte der Sternbilderdarstellungen von 800 bis 1500“.
Mitglied der internationalen Forschergruppe des „Michael-of-Rhodes-Project“ am Dibner Institut for the History of Science and Technology des Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge/Mass./USA.
Zusammen mit Prof. Dr. Matthias Werner Konzeption und wissenschaftliche Leitung der dritten Thüringer Landesausstellung „Elisabeth von Thüringen – Eine europäische Heilige“ auf der Wartburg 2007.
2010, 2014 und 2019 wissenschaftlicher Gast am Kunsthistorischen Institut Florenz, Max-Planck-Institut
Seit 2013 gemeinsames Forschungsprojekt mit Prof. Dr. Christel Meier-Staubach zur Ovid-Rezeption im Trecento.
Seit 2018 emeritiert.
Veröffentlichungen der letzten Jahre (Auswahl):
- Regenten des Himmels.
Astrologische Bilder in Mittelalter und Renaissance, Schriften aus dem Warburghaus, Bd. 3, Berlin 2000
- Elisabeth von Thüringen – Eine europäische Heilige, Dritte Thüringer Landesausstellung auf der Wartburg 2007, Katalog und Aufsatzband, 2 Bde, hg. von Dieter Blume und Matthias Werner, Petersberg 2007
- The Use of visual Images by Michael of Rhodes. Astrology, Christian Faith and practical Knowledge, in: Michael of Rhodes, A Fiftheenth-century Venetian Maritime Manuscript, ed. By Pamela O. Long, David McGee, Alan M. Stahl,
MIT-Press, Cambridge/Mass. 2009, Vol. III, S. 147-192
- Wissenschaft und Bilder – Vermittlung antiken Wissens im Frühmittelalter, in: Geschichte der bildenden Kunst in Deutschland, Bd. I Karolingische und ottonische Kunst, hg. Von Bruno Reudenbach, München 2009, S. 522-551
- Sternbilder des Mittelalters – Der gemalte Himmel zwischen Wissenschaft und Phantasie, Teil I 800 – 1200, zusammen mit Mechthild Haffner und Wolfgang Metzger, 2 Bände, Berlin 2012
- Sternbilder des Mittelalters und der Renaissance – Der gemalte Himmel zwischen Wissenschaft und Phantasie,Teil II, 1200 - 1500,
zusammen mit Mechthild Haffner und Wolfgang Metzger, 3 Bände, Berlin 2016
- Petrus Berchorius und der antike Mythos im 14. Jahrhundert,
zusammen mit Christel Meier, in Vorbereitung
Address: Institut für Kunstgeschichte und Filmwissenschaft
Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena
Fürstengraben 18
D-07743 Jena
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Papers by Dieter Blume
Il codice Cocharelli tra Oriente e Occidente: studi, testi, immagini, ed. by Chiara Concina and Francesca Fabbri, in: Medioevi, No. 6, 2020, 2024
The Cocharelli codex is a very peculiar book: not only it connects knowledge and images taken fro... more The Cocharelli codex is a very peculiar book: not only it connects
knowledge and images taken from very different fields in a personal view
made for the use of the family for which it was conceived, but it is also a fascinating document of the intellectual culture of the rich Genoese merchants of the fourteenth century. The article has in aim to focus on the survived folios of the treatise on the vices, in order to shed light on their relationship to the text. Full-page miniatures show the character of a specific vice, but also the main examples taken from recent history. Idyllic scenes are painted(where enough space is left on the page) as a sort of counterbalance to the text.
Finally, we have the medallions in the framing of the pages, that are in a dialogue with the text. Special attention is given to hunting scenes, to falconry in particular, but also to the whole animal world with a specific focus on birds and insects. The last folios (with the margins crowded by different species of animals and insects) form, under an iconographical point of view, a completely independent part of the codex, to be considered as a sort of zoological atlas of the natural world.
Imagining the Heavens across Eurasia from Antiquity to Early Modernity, ed. By Rana Brentjes, Sonja Brentjes and Stamattina Mastorakou, Mimesis International, 2024
In the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo in Florence, an exact image of the starry sky was painted in t... more In the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo in Florence, an exact image of the starry sky was painted in the second quarter of the 15th century. Since the planets were also identified some time ago, a new date has emerged. At the same time, it became possible to attempt an astrological interpretation relating to the patron Cosimo de Medici.
Imagining the Heavens across Eurasia from Antiquity to Early Modernity, ed. By Rana Brentjes, Sonja Brentjes and Stamattina Mastorakou, Mimesis International 2024, 2024
Together with the astrologer Pietro d' Abano, Giotto painted the great hall in Padua's town hall ... more Together with the astrologer Pietro d' Abano, Giotto painted the great hall in Padua's town hall at the beginning of the 14th century. These frescoes have been painted over several times, but copies from the 14th century make it possible to reconstruct the depictions of the planets. This famous cycle of frescoes influenced astrological paintings in Italy for over a century.
Imagining the Heavens across Eurasia from Antiquity to Early Modernity, ed. By Rana Brentjes, Sonja Brentjes and Stamattina Mastorakou, Mimesis International , 2024
The essay deals with the development of cosmic diagrams at the Carolingian court in Aachen and th... more The essay deals with the development of cosmic diagrams at the Carolingian court in Aachen and the adoption of ancient representations of the constellations in the tradition of the Aratea under Louis the Pious. The focus is on the famous aratea manuscript from Leiden (Ms. Voss. Lat. Q 79) and Ms. Harley 647 from London.
Bellissimo! Italienische Malerei von der Gotik bis zur Renaissance aus dem Lindenau-Museum in Altenburg, Ausstellungskatalog Augustinermuseum Freiburg/Breisgau, hg. von Eva Maria Breissig und Jutta Götzmanng , 2024
An introductory text to the exhibition, which places the painting in its cultural context and add... more An introductory text to the exhibition, which places the painting in its cultural context and addresses issues relating to the city republics, the courts and the Renaissance in general. The focus is on Siena and Florence from the 13th to the 15th century.
Giornale di Astronomia, Vol.49, 4, 2023
Reconsideration of my astrological interpretation from 2000 of the fresco in the dome over the al... more Reconsideration of my astrological interpretation from 2000 of the fresco in the dome over the altar in the Old Sacristey of San Lorenzo in Florence, together with some remarks concerning the astronomical importance of this imressing picture of the starry sky..
Deutsches Dante Jahrbuch, Band 98, 2023
Questo contributo esamina vari esempi di iconografia politica nei comuni dell’Italia settentriona... more Questo contributo esamina vari esempi di iconografia politica nei comuni
dell’Italia settentrionale dei secoli XIII e XIV. Tra questi, l’epigrafe del Bargello di Firenze composta da Brunetto Latini, i resti di affreschi nel Palazzo della Ragione milanese, le fontane di Nicola e Giovanni Pisano, e quella di Arnolfo di Cambio a Perugia e l’affresco, oggi perduto, del Comune rubato di Giotto. Si tratta di un’iconografia che si serve soprattutto delle figure dell‘araldica e di svariate tecniche allegoriche.
Deutsches Dante Jahrbuch, Band 98, 2023
»'l volger del ciel«-Dantes Sterne Riassunto: L'astronomia ha un ruolo importante nella Commedia;... more »'l volger del ciel«-Dantes Sterne Riassunto: L'astronomia ha un ruolo importante nella Commedia; a più riprese si rinvia alla posizione/costellazione degli astri. Da una parte, ciò serve a definire il tempo, ma anche a chiarire le coordinate del cosmo. Dante attribuisce alla danza dei beati un movimenti armonico in qualche misura assimilabile al moto degli astri. Nel momento in cui arriva nel cielo delle stelle fisse, il narratore menziona quel segno zodiacale sotto il quale è nato e al quale si sente legato. Inoltre, nella Canzone Io son venuto al punto della rota, menziona addirittura la costellazione che si vedeva a Firenze la sera del Natale 1296.
Im Namen des Bildes, Die figürliche Darstellung in islamischen und christlichen Kulturen, hg. von Axel Langer, zugleich Ausstellungskatalog im Museum Rietberg, Zürich, 2022
Überblick über Themen profaner Wandmalerei im europäischen Mittelalter unter den Kategorien Kosmo... more Überblick über Themen profaner Wandmalerei im europäischen Mittelalter unter den Kategorien Kosmos und Geschichte, Natur und Jagd, Ethik und Liebe.
In the Name of the Image, figurative Representation in Islamic and Christian Cultures, ed. by Axel Langer, also exhibition-Catalogue of theMuseum Rietberg in Zurich, 2022
General remarks on the themes of profane paintings in the Middle Ages organized under the categor... more General remarks on the themes of profane paintings in the Middle Ages organized under the categories of Cosmos and History, Nature and Hunting, Ethics and Love.
Rezension zu: Benjamin Anderson, Cosmos and Community in Early Medieval Art New Haven/London: Yal... more Rezension zu: Benjamin Anderson, Cosmos and Community in Early Medieval Art New Haven/London: Yale University Press 2017, 216 Seiten mit 67 Farb- und 10 s/w-Abb., ISBN 978-03-00-21916-6
Die andere Seite. Das Phänomen der Mehrfachbegabng in dne Künsten., 2021
Teh text discuss poetry by painters and drawings by writers in the 14th, 15th and 16th century in... more Teh text discuss poetry by painters and drawings by writers in the 14th, 15th and 16th century in Italy.
MITTEILUNGEN DES KUNSTHISTORISCHEN INSTITUTES IN FLORENZ, Bd. LX,, 2018
Amor is a prominent figure in early Italian poetry, where the antique image of the god of love wa... more Amor is a prominent figure in early Italian poetry, where the antique image of the god of love was enriched with some new and modern elements. While Brunetto Latini’s Tesoretto introduced the idea of Cupid‘s blindness, very influential was a sequence of thirteen sonnets by Guittone d' Arezzo that describe and explain a painting of Amor. The god is conceived here as a very frightening hybrid creature with the claws of a hawk. From this poetic ekphrasis arose an exchange of poems and a long lasting debate on the character of love. Another frequent image is that of Amor sitting on a throne in his court, in the midst of a multitude of lovers. A prominent painted example is the frontispiece of the Canzoniere palatino, which reflects a profane and more or less positive notion of love inspired by courtly literature. On the other hand, a more frightening version of Amor shows him standing on the back of a galloping horse and attacking defenceless people. This image must have had a wide circulation but is today conserved only in a few miniatures and a fresco in the Castello di Sabbionara at Avio. Francesco da Barberino participated in this discourse with a specific picture commented by a long poem, which he recited in a public performance. He conceived a detailed theory of love for a communal audience, according to which bad as well as good things emerge from love. Further examples show that images and poems are part of a discussion that continued during the entire fourteenth century. The article explores these varying ideas of the god of love and the mutual exchange on this theme between painting and poetry.
Fühmittelalterliche Studien, Bd. 53, 2019
In the decades after 1300 you find in Italy an intensive re-reading of ancient texts and especia... more In the decades after 1300 you find in Italy an intensive re-reading of ancient texts and especial of Ovid, which is connected with the intellectual cultures of the cities. One example is of course Dante with his specific amalgam of ancient myths with the christian story of salvation. Important are also the lectures of Giovanni del Vergilo in Bologna, which retells the metamorphoses in a clear and simple language. An very interesting case is Paolo da Perugia, who in Naples works out complexe diagramms to explain the correlations of all the different mythological figures. His interests are mainly historical and cosmological. The young Petrarca however uses selected metamorphoses as metaphors of his emotional feelings as a loving poet. Petrus Berchorius writes in Avignon an extensive allegorical explanation of the metamorphoses. Beside theological interpretations he is discussing ethical questions, which are connected with the experiences of his readers. The text of Berchorius was soon connected with an extensive illustration. In a splendid version for Bruzio Visconti the miniatures offers an own, sensitive reading of the Ovidian narratives including the emotional tensions of the stories. A manuscript from Bergamo, which has only very simple drawings, can proof the existence of a model, where a detailed iconography of all the pagan gods was developed soon after 1350. Florentine drawings done by readers of the italian translation by Arrigo Simintendi focus again on the emotional aspects of the Ovidian stories.
The individual readings differs widly in their interests, but all are in their own way a form of actualization and connect Ovid with the reality of the 14th century. They all together establish the ancient myth as a new system of reference.
Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte, Bd. 82, Heft 4, 2019
In a private room for Clemens VI (1342–1352) in the palace of the popes at Avignon, frescoes show... more In a private room for Clemens VI (1342–1352) in the palace of the popes at Avignon, frescoes show a peaceful vision of nature with flowering trees, numerous birds, and hunting scenes. There is a strong contrast between the castle-like architecture of the tower in which the room is located and the expansive view of plants and animals offered by the paintings. All of the people in the frescoes are more or less youthful, some collecting fruits, some bathing, and others trying to catch birds or rabbits. It is a very selective impression of nature, with much left out. The experience of nature articulated in the same period by Francesco Petrarca uses very similar elements. Apart from all differences, the frescoes and the writings of Petrarca share a newly emerged interest in nature in the middle of the fourteenth century.
Frescoes of the 13th century in a palace of a cardinal in Rome
Geisteswissenschaftliche Spaziergänge, 2019
Interpretation of the painting of Sebasian in Vienna as a programmatic picture concerning theory ... more Interpretation of the painting of Sebasian in Vienna as a programmatic picture concerning theory of art, which was may be done for Lodovico Gonzaga.
L'art de la Renaissance entre science et magie, 2006
Reading the fresco in the cupola of the Old Sacresty of San Lorenzo in Florence as an horoskop fo... more Reading the fresco in the cupola of the Old Sacresty of San Lorenzo in Florence as an horoskop for Cosmio Medici.
Die Klosterkirche St. Peter und Paul in Erfurt. Neue Forschungen zu den Wandmalereien und zur Baugeschichte (Berichte der Stiftung Thüringer Schlösser und Gärten, Bd. 13), Petersberg, p. 71-81, 2015
Il codice Cocharelli tra Oriente e Occidente: studi, testi, immagini, ed. by Chiara Concina and Francesca Fabbri, in: Medioevi, No. 6, 2020, 2024
The Cocharelli codex is a very peculiar book: not only it connects knowledge and images taken fro... more The Cocharelli codex is a very peculiar book: not only it connects
knowledge and images taken from very different fields in a personal view
made for the use of the family for which it was conceived, but it is also a fascinating document of the intellectual culture of the rich Genoese merchants of the fourteenth century. The article has in aim to focus on the survived folios of the treatise on the vices, in order to shed light on their relationship to the text. Full-page miniatures show the character of a specific vice, but also the main examples taken from recent history. Idyllic scenes are painted(where enough space is left on the page) as a sort of counterbalance to the text.
Finally, we have the medallions in the framing of the pages, that are in a dialogue with the text. Special attention is given to hunting scenes, to falconry in particular, but also to the whole animal world with a specific focus on birds and insects. The last folios (with the margins crowded by different species of animals and insects) form, under an iconographical point of view, a completely independent part of the codex, to be considered as a sort of zoological atlas of the natural world.
Imagining the Heavens across Eurasia from Antiquity to Early Modernity, ed. By Rana Brentjes, Sonja Brentjes and Stamattina Mastorakou, Mimesis International, 2024
In the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo in Florence, an exact image of the starry sky was painted in t... more In the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo in Florence, an exact image of the starry sky was painted in the second quarter of the 15th century. Since the planets were also identified some time ago, a new date has emerged. At the same time, it became possible to attempt an astrological interpretation relating to the patron Cosimo de Medici.
Imagining the Heavens across Eurasia from Antiquity to Early Modernity, ed. By Rana Brentjes, Sonja Brentjes and Stamattina Mastorakou, Mimesis International 2024, 2024
Together with the astrologer Pietro d' Abano, Giotto painted the great hall in Padua's town hall ... more Together with the astrologer Pietro d' Abano, Giotto painted the great hall in Padua's town hall at the beginning of the 14th century. These frescoes have been painted over several times, but copies from the 14th century make it possible to reconstruct the depictions of the planets. This famous cycle of frescoes influenced astrological paintings in Italy for over a century.
Imagining the Heavens across Eurasia from Antiquity to Early Modernity, ed. By Rana Brentjes, Sonja Brentjes and Stamattina Mastorakou, Mimesis International , 2024
The essay deals with the development of cosmic diagrams at the Carolingian court in Aachen and th... more The essay deals with the development of cosmic diagrams at the Carolingian court in Aachen and the adoption of ancient representations of the constellations in the tradition of the Aratea under Louis the Pious. The focus is on the famous aratea manuscript from Leiden (Ms. Voss. Lat. Q 79) and Ms. Harley 647 from London.
Bellissimo! Italienische Malerei von der Gotik bis zur Renaissance aus dem Lindenau-Museum in Altenburg, Ausstellungskatalog Augustinermuseum Freiburg/Breisgau, hg. von Eva Maria Breissig und Jutta Götzmanng , 2024
An introductory text to the exhibition, which places the painting in its cultural context and add... more An introductory text to the exhibition, which places the painting in its cultural context and addresses issues relating to the city republics, the courts and the Renaissance in general. The focus is on Siena and Florence from the 13th to the 15th century.
Giornale di Astronomia, Vol.49, 4, 2023
Reconsideration of my astrological interpretation from 2000 of the fresco in the dome over the al... more Reconsideration of my astrological interpretation from 2000 of the fresco in the dome over the altar in the Old Sacristey of San Lorenzo in Florence, together with some remarks concerning the astronomical importance of this imressing picture of the starry sky..
Deutsches Dante Jahrbuch, Band 98, 2023
Questo contributo esamina vari esempi di iconografia politica nei comuni dell’Italia settentriona... more Questo contributo esamina vari esempi di iconografia politica nei comuni
dell’Italia settentrionale dei secoli XIII e XIV. Tra questi, l’epigrafe del Bargello di Firenze composta da Brunetto Latini, i resti di affreschi nel Palazzo della Ragione milanese, le fontane di Nicola e Giovanni Pisano, e quella di Arnolfo di Cambio a Perugia e l’affresco, oggi perduto, del Comune rubato di Giotto. Si tratta di un’iconografia che si serve soprattutto delle figure dell‘araldica e di svariate tecniche allegoriche.
Deutsches Dante Jahrbuch, Band 98, 2023
»'l volger del ciel«-Dantes Sterne Riassunto: L'astronomia ha un ruolo importante nella Commedia;... more »'l volger del ciel«-Dantes Sterne Riassunto: L'astronomia ha un ruolo importante nella Commedia; a più riprese si rinvia alla posizione/costellazione degli astri. Da una parte, ciò serve a definire il tempo, ma anche a chiarire le coordinate del cosmo. Dante attribuisce alla danza dei beati un movimenti armonico in qualche misura assimilabile al moto degli astri. Nel momento in cui arriva nel cielo delle stelle fisse, il narratore menziona quel segno zodiacale sotto il quale è nato e al quale si sente legato. Inoltre, nella Canzone Io son venuto al punto della rota, menziona addirittura la costellazione che si vedeva a Firenze la sera del Natale 1296.
Im Namen des Bildes, Die figürliche Darstellung in islamischen und christlichen Kulturen, hg. von Axel Langer, zugleich Ausstellungskatalog im Museum Rietberg, Zürich, 2022
Überblick über Themen profaner Wandmalerei im europäischen Mittelalter unter den Kategorien Kosmo... more Überblick über Themen profaner Wandmalerei im europäischen Mittelalter unter den Kategorien Kosmos und Geschichte, Natur und Jagd, Ethik und Liebe.
In the Name of the Image, figurative Representation in Islamic and Christian Cultures, ed. by Axel Langer, also exhibition-Catalogue of theMuseum Rietberg in Zurich, 2022
General remarks on the themes of profane paintings in the Middle Ages organized under the categor... more General remarks on the themes of profane paintings in the Middle Ages organized under the categories of Cosmos and History, Nature and Hunting, Ethics and Love.
Rezension zu: Benjamin Anderson, Cosmos and Community in Early Medieval Art New Haven/London: Yal... more Rezension zu: Benjamin Anderson, Cosmos and Community in Early Medieval Art New Haven/London: Yale University Press 2017, 216 Seiten mit 67 Farb- und 10 s/w-Abb., ISBN 978-03-00-21916-6
Die andere Seite. Das Phänomen der Mehrfachbegabng in dne Künsten., 2021
Teh text discuss poetry by painters and drawings by writers in the 14th, 15th and 16th century in... more Teh text discuss poetry by painters and drawings by writers in the 14th, 15th and 16th century in Italy.
MITTEILUNGEN DES KUNSTHISTORISCHEN INSTITUTES IN FLORENZ, Bd. LX,, 2018
Amor is a prominent figure in early Italian poetry, where the antique image of the god of love wa... more Amor is a prominent figure in early Italian poetry, where the antique image of the god of love was enriched with some new and modern elements. While Brunetto Latini’s Tesoretto introduced the idea of Cupid‘s blindness, very influential was a sequence of thirteen sonnets by Guittone d' Arezzo that describe and explain a painting of Amor. The god is conceived here as a very frightening hybrid creature with the claws of a hawk. From this poetic ekphrasis arose an exchange of poems and a long lasting debate on the character of love. Another frequent image is that of Amor sitting on a throne in his court, in the midst of a multitude of lovers. A prominent painted example is the frontispiece of the Canzoniere palatino, which reflects a profane and more or less positive notion of love inspired by courtly literature. On the other hand, a more frightening version of Amor shows him standing on the back of a galloping horse and attacking defenceless people. This image must have had a wide circulation but is today conserved only in a few miniatures and a fresco in the Castello di Sabbionara at Avio. Francesco da Barberino participated in this discourse with a specific picture commented by a long poem, which he recited in a public performance. He conceived a detailed theory of love for a communal audience, according to which bad as well as good things emerge from love. Further examples show that images and poems are part of a discussion that continued during the entire fourteenth century. The article explores these varying ideas of the god of love and the mutual exchange on this theme between painting and poetry.
Fühmittelalterliche Studien, Bd. 53, 2019
In the decades after 1300 you find in Italy an intensive re-reading of ancient texts and especia... more In the decades after 1300 you find in Italy an intensive re-reading of ancient texts and especial of Ovid, which is connected with the intellectual cultures of the cities. One example is of course Dante with his specific amalgam of ancient myths with the christian story of salvation. Important are also the lectures of Giovanni del Vergilo in Bologna, which retells the metamorphoses in a clear and simple language. An very interesting case is Paolo da Perugia, who in Naples works out complexe diagramms to explain the correlations of all the different mythological figures. His interests are mainly historical and cosmological. The young Petrarca however uses selected metamorphoses as metaphors of his emotional feelings as a loving poet. Petrus Berchorius writes in Avignon an extensive allegorical explanation of the metamorphoses. Beside theological interpretations he is discussing ethical questions, which are connected with the experiences of his readers. The text of Berchorius was soon connected with an extensive illustration. In a splendid version for Bruzio Visconti the miniatures offers an own, sensitive reading of the Ovidian narratives including the emotional tensions of the stories. A manuscript from Bergamo, which has only very simple drawings, can proof the existence of a model, where a detailed iconography of all the pagan gods was developed soon after 1350. Florentine drawings done by readers of the italian translation by Arrigo Simintendi focus again on the emotional aspects of the Ovidian stories.
The individual readings differs widly in their interests, but all are in their own way a form of actualization and connect Ovid with the reality of the 14th century. They all together establish the ancient myth as a new system of reference.
Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte, Bd. 82, Heft 4, 2019
In a private room for Clemens VI (1342–1352) in the palace of the popes at Avignon, frescoes show... more In a private room for Clemens VI (1342–1352) in the palace of the popes at Avignon, frescoes show a peaceful vision of nature with flowering trees, numerous birds, and hunting scenes. There is a strong contrast between the castle-like architecture of the tower in which the room is located and the expansive view of plants and animals offered by the paintings. All of the people in the frescoes are more or less youthful, some collecting fruits, some bathing, and others trying to catch birds or rabbits. It is a very selective impression of nature, with much left out. The experience of nature articulated in the same period by Francesco Petrarca uses very similar elements. Apart from all differences, the frescoes and the writings of Petrarca share a newly emerged interest in nature in the middle of the fourteenth century.
Frescoes of the 13th century in a palace of a cardinal in Rome
Geisteswissenschaftliche Spaziergänge, 2019
Interpretation of the painting of Sebasian in Vienna as a programmatic picture concerning theory ... more Interpretation of the painting of Sebasian in Vienna as a programmatic picture concerning theory of art, which was may be done for Lodovico Gonzaga.
L'art de la Renaissance entre science et magie, 2006
Reading the fresco in the cupola of the Old Sacresty of San Lorenzo in Florence as an horoskop fo... more Reading the fresco in the cupola of the Old Sacresty of San Lorenzo in Florence as an horoskop for Cosmio Medici.
Die Klosterkirche St. Peter und Paul in Erfurt. Neue Forschungen zu den Wandmalereien und zur Baugeschichte (Berichte der Stiftung Thüringer Schlösser und Gärten, Bd. 13), Petersberg, p. 71-81, 2015
Ein Engel im Atelier. Zu Gast bei Gerhard Altenburg., 2021
Gerhard Altenbourg is one of the most important artists of the second half of the 20th century. I... more Gerhard Altenbourg is one of the most important artists of the second half of the 20th century. In 1957, at the beginning of his career, he transformed a room in his house into a walk-in work of art. Dieter Blume investigates the programmatic decorations of this space for the first time. It deals with questions of artistic inspiration, sexuality, ancient myth and the Christian faith. At the same time, a very independent examination of the Western art direction of the Informel can be grasped here. It is a unique document of his self-discovery between East and West Germany and is a striking reminder of the artistic awakening of the 1950s.
Petrus Berchorius und der antike Mythos im 14. Jahrhundert, 2021
Written 1340 in Avignon and widely distributed Ovidius moralizatus by Petrus Berchorius undertake... more Written 1340 in Avignon and widely distributed Ovidius moralizatus by Petrus Berchorius undertakes a systematic allegorical examination of the Metamorphoses that explores the current situation in the church and society. For the first time an illustrated edition of the text and of an illustrated manuscript created 1348 in Bologna is presented in full. The exceptional miniature cycle develops a highly imaginative iconography of metamorphoses. Simultaneously, the reader can appreciate a new, emotional and human view of Ovid.
The analysis of the images but also the critical edition, translation and commentaries on the text are placed into context through literary and art history comparative studies. The result is a comprehensive image of the prominent role played by the ancient myth in the intellectual debates of the 14th century.
Monographic issue entirely devoted to the Cocharelli codex.
In 'Imagining the Heavens across Eurasia', 20 authors tell in novel ways the histories of astral ... more In 'Imagining the Heavens across Eurasia', 20 authors tell in novel ways the histories of astral knowledge through objects and their imagery. These objects including, for instance, caves and buildings, manuscripts and prints, textiles and metal dishes, instruments and paintings, monuments, and sculptures. Each chapter focuses on specific items, analysing their pictorial content and situating them in the contexts of their production and usage. As its main issue, the book addresses the knowledge inscribed in these images and their material carriers. Particular attention is paid to the interconnection between images, materials, themes and objects across space and time. This approach enables the authors to highlight the numerous cross-cultural relations between the objects, interlinking their chapters with each other. Thus, this book offers a richly illustrated kaleidoscope of astral knowledge in Eurasia to experts and lay people alike.