Passion and Virtuosity: Hendrick Goltzius and the Art of Engraving

University of San Diego
Feb. 21 through May 25, 2014

Passion and Virtuosity: Hendrick Goltzius and the Art of Engraving brings together nearly 60 works by this master engraver and his contemporaries. The exhibition is a collaborative effort by USD and the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. In addition to works from USD’s and the Crocker’s permanent collections, Passion and Virtuosity includes outstanding examples of prints and drawings from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Hammer Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and private collectors throughout the country.

At the core of this collaborative exhibition are Goltzius’ prints dedicated to The Life of the Virgin and The Passion series, both of which demonstrate his chameleon-like virtuosity and distinctive style of engraving, such as the use of a swelling and tapering line to emphasize the illusion of volume that was adopted by a workshop of his students and followers. Divided thematically, the exhibition focuses as much on technique as it does on the various subjects of Goltzius’ series. Passion and Virtuosity explores the influence and interpretation of earlier printmakers in Goltzius’ work as well. Demonstrating the visual dialogue between Goltzius and some important precursors such as Albrecht Dürer, Passion and Virtuosity provides a deeper understanding of the history of engraving and visual culture in the late sixteenth century.

The exhibit was curated by Victoria Sancho Lobis, former curator of USD’s print collection and now the Prince Trust Associate Curator in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, and William Breazeale, Curator at the Crocker Art Museum.

Hendrick Goltzius, The Annunciation (Birth and Early Life of Christ), 1594, Engraving. University of San Diego, Print Collection. Acquired in Honor of Robert Hoehn.

The Adoration of the Shepherds
Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558-1617), 1594
Engraving from the Life of the Virgin

Goltzius, Hendrick Adoration of the Magi, from the series "The Life of the Virgin"
1593/94

Hendrick Goltzius, The Circumcision, 1594. Engraving, state ii/ii, plate and sheet 47 x 35.6 cm. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Hendrick Goltzius, The Last Supper, 1598. Engraving, state i/iii, plate and sheet 20.1 x 13.4 cm. University of San Diego, Purchased with funds from Robert and Karen Hoehn.


Hendrick Goltzius, "Christ Crowned With Thorns," from "The Passion of Christ," 1597, 7 1/8 x 5 1/8 in. Art Institute of Chicago, Joseph Brooks Fair Collection.

 

Hendrick Goltzius, Christ Carrying the Cross, 1596–1598. Engraving, state i/ii, plate 20.3 x 13.7 cm, sheet 20.9 x 14.3 cm. University of San Diego, purchased with funds from Robert and Karen Hoehn.