Henry VIII and Art: Issues of Communication, Appreciation and Gender

这是一项开创性的研究，研究了在亨利八世（1509-47）统治时期，现代意义上的“艺术”概念的发展方式。在英国历史上最重大的变革时期之一，这也是对艺术在公共生活中的地位的一次新的审视，因为亨利八世从罗马教会脱离出来，开启了与英格兰教会的王室关系，这种关系一直持续到今天。人们早就认识到，肖像、版画、眼镜、挂毯、建筑和其他艺术形式为亨利八世的皇家辉煌和丰富的视觉文化做出了贡献，但这个项目在评估亨利八世和他的政治顾问利用艺术向广泛的观众传达有关国王及其权力的精确而详细的信息方面做了更深入的研究。此外，该项目还证实，正是在这一变革的关键时期，人们开始将艺术作品视为审美对象，而不是奉献或展示地位的辅助工具——因此，艺术不仅是促进变革的工具，它本身也在人们对它的看法和用途方面发生了重大变化。

This is a ground-breaking study of the ways in which a developed conception of 'art' in the modern sense of the term can first be identified in the reign of Henry VIII (1509-47). It is also a new examination of the place of art in public life during one of the most momentous periods of change in English history, as Henry VIII broke from the Church of Rome and inaugurated the royal relationship with the Church of England which survives to this day. It has long been recognized that portraits, prints, spectacles, tapestries, buildings and other artistic forms contributed to the royal magnificence and rich visual culture of Henrician England, but this project goes much further in assessing the extent to which Henry VIII and his political advisers exploited art to communicate precise and detailed messages about the king and his power to a broad spectrum of viewers. In addition, this project also establishes that it was during this same critical period of change that people began to think about works of art as aesthetic objects rather than as aids to devotion or displays of status - so not only was art a tool for those promoting change, it itself underwent significant changes in terms of what people thought it was and what it was for.