Affect and Agency: The Netherlandish Portrait (1400-1750)
Chair: Ann Jensen Adams, University of California at Santa Barbara, <ajadamsarthistory.ucsb.edu>

Repeating an ancient trope, Constantijn Huygens wrote that portraits “perform a noble work, that more than any other is necessary for our human needs, …through them we in a true sense do not die; furthermore as descendants we can speak intimately with our most distant ancestors.” Through their perceived affective qualities, portraits in the early modern period served – consciously or unconsciously – as active cultural agents, from the formation of the self to strengthening familial bonds, and producing social and political relations. This session seeks papers that expand our understanding of the imaginative and cultural function of portraiture in the Netherlands and in Germany, in the broadest sense. Portrait genres might include the self-portrait, memorial (donor) portrait, court portrait, family portrait, group portraits of voluntary associations, portrait historié, printed portrait, imaginative portrait, and portrait sculpture, with an emphasis upon the viewer’s understanding of the portrait and its personal and/ or cultural uses.

Note that participants must be members in good standing of CAA. For submission guidelines, necessary accompanying information including cover sheet, and additional information, please see:
http://www.collegeart.org/proposals/2012callforparticipation

Please send proposals and accompanying materials by May 2, 2011 to: Ann Jensen Adams <ajadamsarthistory.ucsb.edu>