- Thursday, 14 March 2024
- Thursday, 21 March 2024
- Thursday, 28 March 2024
About
In this course, we will reflect on one of the most significant stories in the canon of Western art and religion, the final days and death of Jesus Christ. Led by Dr Carlo Corsato alongside special guests, each week will cover a different part of the Passion of Christ, from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection.
We will explore the complex theme of rebirth among the emotions of suffering, grief, and hope depicted in a selection of world-famous and lesser-known paintings in the National Gallery’s collection.
Week 1: Light and darkness
The first week serves as an introduction to the major themes that we will explore over the three weeks. Carlo will also investigate the story of the Passion of Christ, the period before the death of Christ, that was a constant focus of European, especially Italian, painting.
After the break, we join artist and educator Joanna Conybeare for an artist’s perspective on the Passion of Christ. Providing technical and practical insight, she will consider how artists’ varying applications of paint and depictions of light direct and illuminate the narratives of these scenes in works such as Rembrandt’s ‘Ecce Homo’ to Gerrit van Honthorst’s ‘Christ before the High Priest’.
Week 2: End and beginning
In the second session, we explore one of the most iconic scenes of Western art, the Crucifixion, by looking at works such as Raphael’s ‘The Mond Crucifixion’ and Michelangelo’s ‘The Entombment.’
After the break, Dr Siobhán Jolley will consider the role of Jesus’ female followers as witnesses to the events of his suffering and death. In particular, we will explore how ideas around gender and emotion have influenced the way artists portrayed them, and consider how these depictions relate to the texts of the New Testament.
Week 3: Lost and found
In the final session of our three-week series, we will conclude by considering notions of rebirth and resurrection shortly before Easter. Guest speaker, The Reverend Dr Mark Oakley, Dean of Southwark Cathedral will begin by offering a modern religious perspective on the story of the ‘Walk to Emmaus’. He will explore Lelio Orsi’s ‘The Walk to Emmaus’, and Altobello Melone’s ‘The Road to Emmaus’.
After the break, in our final talk of the course, we will explore works such as Titian’s ‘Noli me tangere’ and Caravaggio’s ‘The Supper at Emmaus.’
Your tutors
Dr Carlo Corsato is a Gallery Educator. Experienced in adult education, he teaches at Morley College and has lectured at the Courtauld Institute and University of St Andrews. He is passionate about history, digital technologies and audience engagement. His publications include ‘Lives of Titian’ and ‘Lives of Tintoretto’.
Joanna Conybeare is an artist and Gallery Educator who has worked in Primary and Secondary schools in London and the south coast as a teacher and subject lead for Art and Design. In her own artistic practice, she uses clay, porcelain and terracotta to explore the figure, enjoying the immediacy of the material that enables her to ‘draw’ three-dimensionally.
Dr Siobhán Jolley is the Howard and Roberta Ahmanson Research Fellow in Art and Religion at the National Gallery, a Visiting Lecturer in TRS at King's, and an Honorary Research Fellow of the Centre for Biblical Studies at the University of Manchester. A specialist in the portrayal of Mary Magdalene, her broader research interests include the work of female artists, the reception of biblical women and the New Testament, and feminist approaches. She completed her PhD at the University of Manchester in 2021 and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
The Revd Dr Mark Oakley is Dean of Southwark. Formerly Dean of St John's College, University of Cambridge, he read Theology at London and Oxford before being ordained in St Paul’s Cathedral in 1993. He is a Fellow of King’s College, London, where he is also a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. He is a Visiting Scholar at Sarum College and was recently made an honorary Doctor of Education by Chester University for his contribution to education and the arts. Dr Oakley is the author of several books and is also an Ambassador for Stop Hate UK and Patron of Tell MAMA. His interests include poetry, theatre and human rights.
Watch again
Can't make Thursday afternoons but don't want to miss out? No problem, you can watch again.
'Rebirth and resurrection: Easter scenes at the National Gallery' sessions are recorded and made available to you for one week.
A video of the week's lecture will be uploaded and available for you to watch via your National Gallery account on Friday afternoons, in time for the weekend. Just be sure to watch it by the following Friday lunchtime, as it will be taken down on Friday afternoons.
Format
Each session lasts for 2 hours and includes a lecture delivered by the course lecturer followed by a short break and further discussion.
Time will be allowed for questions and discussion via Q&A.
Handouts will be available via your National Gallery account on Wednesday mornings.
Optional homework is provided to help you prepare for the following week's session.
Booking information
This is an online ticketed course hosted on Zoom. Please book a ticket to access the course. Only one ticket can be booked per account.
You will be emailed an E-ticket with instructions on how to access the course via your National Gallery account. All course information including your Zoom link, weekly handouts, and recordings will be available here.
Your link will be valid for the duration of the course.
Booking after the course has started
You are welcome to join the module at any point during its three-week run. However, please note that you will only be able to see the recording from the previous session, as these are taken offline after one week.
Rebirth and resurrection: Easter scenes at the National Gallery
- Thursday, 14 March 2024
- Thursday, 21 March 2024
- Thursday, 28 March 2024
Online tickets
Standard: £37.50
Concessions: £35.25
This is an online course, hosted on Zoom. Please book a ticket to access the event. You will receive an E-ticket with instructions on how to access your online events, films and resources via your National Gallery account.
Please note, only one ticket can be booked per account.
Bookings close 10 minutes before the event.
Concessions are for full-time students, jobseekers, and disabled adults.