Daily Archives: 17 December 2017

Moving to the Left: The Art and Development of the Frontispiece – Exhibition, Otago

Moving to the Left: The Art and Development of the Frontispiece 

Special Collections, University of Otago

What is a frontispiece? When did they first appear in print? Where do they sit in relation to the rest of a book’s contents? These are just some of the questions that the exhibition, ‘Moving to the Left: The Art and Development of the Frontispiece’, hopes to answer, with the help of just a few examples from the printed books in Special Collections, University of Otago. This exhibition starts in Special Collections, the de Beer Gallery, on Friday 15 December 2017. It runs through to 9 March 2018.

Debate surrounds the frontispiece, a word coined into the English language about the 1600s (OED). In the early print period, it seems that the frontispiece and the title-page, usually an engraved one, were treated synonymously. The convention was to often find the frontispiece on the recto page, where the title-page would normally be. Some scholars claim that the first frontispieces appeared in print in the late 15th century. Judging from samples in Special Collections, the move to the left certainly occurred before the 1750s.

A whole host of individuals can have a hand in the creation of a frontispiece: authors, publishers, artists, engravers, etchers, and photographers. Sometimes the name of the artist and/or engraver is included. In this exhibition, there is the work of past artists and engravers such as Charles Turner, Samuel Wale, William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, William Rogers, Michael vanderGucht, and Wencelaus Hollar. Modern samples include work by Lyn Ward, Agnes Miller Parker, Wayne Seyb, and Marta Chudolinska. The binding process is also an important factor in placement of frontispieces; binders often disregarded instructions.

The exhibition is grouped into various subject headings such as Christian Symbolism, Emblematics, Classical Studies, Portraits, and Moderns. Notable works on display include James Howell’s Londinopolis; An Historicall Discourse (1657); John Evelyn’s Sculptura (1662); Robert Nelson’s A Companion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England (1732); Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy (1682); Edward Chamberlayne’s Angliae Notitia: or the Present State of England.(1684); and John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1688). Moderns include Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark (1903); Selma Lagerlöf’s The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1950); and Mickey Spillane’s I’ll Die Tomorrow (2009).
According to the Dutch painter and art theorist, Gerard de Lairesse (1641-1711), in his The Art of Painting, all frontispiece compositions should have three distinctive qualities: one, they must be pleasing to the eye; two, they must reflect well on the author and artist; and three, they must help the book-seller actually sell the book. Please do visit the exhibition, and as you make your way through it, please consider some of these aspects in the art of the frontispiece.

‘Moving to the Left: The Art and Development of the Frontispiece’
15 December 2017 to 9 March 2018.
De Beer Gallery, 1st floor, Central Library

Eventually this exhibition will go online, so watch this space.
In addition, if anyone would like a copy of the poster and handlist (physical or e-versions), please just ask.

For further information, please contact  Donald.kerr@otago.ac.nz or Romilly Smith at Romilly.smith@otago.ac.nz
Phone: (03) 479-8330

Medieval Academy of America -Seeking Nominations for the Graduate Student Committee

The Medieval Academy of America is currently accepting self-nominations for vacancies opening up on the Graduate Student Committee (GSC) for the 2018-2020 term. The GSC comprises six members appointed for a two-year term on a rotating basis. There are three openings to be filled. Self-nominations are open to all graduate students, worldwide, who are members of the MAA and have at least two years remaining in their program of study.

The GSC represents and promotes the participation of graduate student medievalists within the MAA and the broader academic community. In addition to fostering international and interdisciplinary exchange, the GSC is dedicated to providing guidance on research, teaching, publishing, professionalization, funding, and employment, as well as offering a forum for the expression of the concerns and interests of our colleagues. Our responsibilities, thus, include organizing pre-professionalizing panels and social events annually at ICMS Kalamazoo, the MAA Annual Meeting, IMC Leeds, and biennially at ANZAMEMS. We also run a successful and popular Mentorship Program that pairs graduate students with faculty to discuss any aspect of our profession such as teaching, publishing, finding a successful work/life balance, maneuvering the job market, and more. In addition, we seek to bring together graduate students through virtual communities such as the growing Graduate Student Group on the MAA website, Facebook, Twitter, the med-grad listserv, and a regular newsletter.

GSC members are asked to attend the Committee’s annual business meeting at Kalamazoo for the duration of their term and to communicate regularly with the group via email and Skype. Ideal applicants are expected to work well both independently and as part of a team in a collaborative environment. Previous experience with organizing conference panels and social events, as well as facility with social and digital media are not required, but may be a benefit.

Interested applicants should submit the following by January 15, 2018:

The Nomination Form;
– A brief CV (2 pages maximum) uploaded as part of the Nomination Form;
– A recommendation letter from your faculty advisor, sent to the Executive Director of the Medieval Academy by mail or as a PDF attachment (on letterhead with signature, to LFD@TheMedievalAcademy.org).

New members will be selected by the Committee on Committees and confirmed by the Council of the Medieval Academy at the 2018 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, 1-3 March 2018. If you have any questions, please contact us at gsc@themedievalacademy.org

Click here to apply