Adventures Online: Crossroads of Europe: Art & History of the Low Countries

1:00 p.m.: Orientation and Introduction (30 minutes). 1:30 p.m.: Lecture – Bruges and the Dukes of Burgundy (60 minutes). An introductory lecture to the emergence of the Low Countries as a major trading center in the Middle Ages. We will look at the rise of Bruges from a swampy backwater to a cosmopolitan marketplace, and examine the influence of the Dukes of Burgundy who settled in the city. Their generous patronage of the arts helped the creation of a radical new painting tradition, which continues to inspire and fascinate. 2:30 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:40 p.m.: Field Trips – Burgundian Treasures and Ghent (60 minutes). We will go on an exploration of Bruges to learn how its built environment reflects the legacy of its prosperous past. Highlights include the precursor to the stock exchange and the beautiful town hall. We will also explore the collection of paintings by Flemish masters in the city’s Groeninge Museum. Our second field trip takes us to the city of Ghent, which rivaled Bruges as a medieval center of trade and craftsmanship. As well as exploring the city’s waterways and warehouses, we will learn about one of Europe’s greatest artistic treasures: Van Eyck’s “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.” 3:40 p.m.: Q&A and Wrap-up (10 minutes).

1:00 p.m.: The Group Leader will provide an overview of today’s session (5 minutes). 1:05 p.m.: Lecture – The Rise of Antwerp (50 minutes). In the 1500s, Bruges begins to decline, and Antwerp takes over as the region’s economic hub. Now part of the Spanish Empire, the city is a major center of trade, textile manufacturing, and publishing. Its wealth and creativity are unparalleled, yet tensions are lurking. 1:55 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:05 p.m.: Field Trips – Rubens Huis and Brussels Grand Place (40 minutes). We will visit the Antwerp home of Peter Paul Rubens, one of the most important painters of the Baroque period. We will discover how the city influenced his work and what his status reveals about Antwerp’s role within the Spanish Empire. Our second field trip takes us to Brussels, the political center of the Spanish Netherlands. We will explore remnants of royal authority and see the power and wealth of the city’s trade guilds. 2:45-3:00 p.m.: Q&A and Wrap-up (15 minutes).

1:00 p.m.: Overview with the Group Leader (5 minutes). 1:05 p.m.: Lecture – Seven Unruly Provinces: The Birth of the Dutch Republic (50 minutes). In 1579, seven rebellious provinces in the northern part of the Spanish Netherlands united in confederation and declared their independence from Spain. This radical act would lead to the creation of the Dutch Republic and form a dividing line between Catholics and Protestants that would lead to the two modern nations of Belgium and the Netherlands. 1:55 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:05 p.m.: Field Trips – The Hague and Delft (40 minutes). The Dutch Republic was a loose confederation with no real capital, but the States General has met in The Hague since 1588. We will explore the historical political center of the Netherlands and learn about its unique constitutional arrangements. Our second field trip today takes us to the city of Delft, which has long associations with the royal House of Orange: royals continue to be buried in the city’s Nieuwe Kerk. We will explore Delft’s role in the country’s 17th-century economic boom and learn about the historical importance of its famous blue and white porcelain. 2:45 p.m.: Q&A and Wrap-up (15 minutes).

1:00 p.m.: Overview with the Group Leader (5 minutes). 1:05 p.m.: Lecture – Dutch Golden Age: Untold Riches (50 minutes). Starting as the rebellious output of a larger empire, within a generation the Dutch Republic would dominate the seas, control global shipping and the spice trade, and innovate in finance, insurance, and corporation law. By the middle of the 17th century, the Netherlands was not only the most prosperous country in Europe, but the richest in history. We will learn how this came to be and how it ushered in a golden age for Dutch art. 1:55 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:05 p.m.: Field Trips – Amsterdam and Rijksmuseum (40 minutes). Amsterdam was the principal beneficiary of the country’s maritime trade and became the undisputed centre of global trade. We will visit its world heritage network of canals or “grachtengordel” to see how it reflects the wealth of the city’s merchants and the incorporation of Renaissance ideas of urban planning. We will continue with a visit to the Rijksmuseum to come face to face with the artists that captured the Golden Age. 2:45 p.m.: Q&A and Wrap-up (15 minutes).

1:00 p.m.: Lecture – Belgium: Europe’s First Industrial Nation (30 minutes). Inspired by the French revolution of July 1830, Catholic Belgium secedes from the Netherlands. Bolstered by a fiercely liberal constitution, Belgium becomes the first industrial country in continental Europe. The wealth and confidence of the new middle classes give rise to Art Nouveau architecture. 1:30 p.m.: Field Trip – Brussels in the 19th Century (20 minutes). We will explore the unique architectural charms of Brussels in the 19th century and examine how the city transformed from a provincial center to the nation’s capital. 1:50 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:00 p.m.: Lecture – War and Peace (30 minutes). The outbreak of WWI devastated Belgium, as the fields of Western Flanders became the killing fields of trench warfare and mustard gas. The national trauma would be repeated during the German occupation in WWII. We will explore the impact on Belgium and learn about how the country emerged from the ashes of conflict as a major international player and the center of the European Union. 2:30 p.m.: Field Trips – Flanders Fields and European Brussels (20 minutes). We will visit some of the most emblematic sites of WWI and learn about the tragedy of the conflict. Then, our final field trip takes us to the European Quarter in Brussels to see how the city has become the decision-making center for an entire continent. 2:50 p.m.: Q&A and Wrap-up (10 minutes). This concludes our program.