A Passion for Antiquity.

• Position: Various artists,Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA - Brief Article

The passion for classical antiquity that characterized the European Renaissance was given impetus by a new technology--the repeatable image. Woodcuts, etchings, and engravings were used to illustrate classical texts and to establish the canon of ancient masterpieces worthy of imitation. Prints also provided a new forum--both intimate and public--in which artists could improvise on the ideas they derived from ancient art and literature to create images of drama, fantasy, and romance.

An exhibition, "Revivals, Reveries, and Reconstructions: Images of Antiquity in Prints from 1500 to 1800," examines the role of the print in documenting, shaping, and disseminating the legacy of Roman antiquities. Featuring some 60 prints as well as a selection of illustrated books, it includes works by Andrea Mantegna, Albrecht Durer, Hendrick Goltzius...