Discuss how curatorial practices shape an exhibition Essay

Discuss how curatorial practices shape an exhibition - Essay Example London, from 15th October, 2008 to 18th January, 2009; explores the dramatic rise of portraiture during the 15th and 16th century Renaissance, through the art works of great masters of Northern and Southern Europe. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid (Artdaily.org, 2008). It is essential that the exhibition is an intelligently planned and painstakingly executed interpretation of the art works selected. While providing for other possible understandings of the art displayed, it is essential to acknowledge the fact that some art pieces that might have been included to enhance the experience further, could not be procured. According to Storr (2006: 14), â€Å"a good exhibition is never the last word on its subject†. The exhibition’s curator, Susan Foister states that during the Renaissance, â€Å"great painters burst upon the scene with a fascination for the human likeness. They not only acquired the technique to do it, but also the intellectual liberation required to think about what it meant to an individual† (Higgins, 2008). After the dark ages, humanism greatly focused on the individual. The exhibition Renaissance Faces: Van Eyck to Titian at the National Gallery, London provides a rare opportunity to explore over seventy Renaissance portraits along with important sculptures, drawings and medals. Some major paintings have been loaned from the United Kingdom, Europe and North America. These are displayed alongside a selection from the rich in-house collection of Renaissance portraits in The National Gallery, London such as Holbein’s â€Å"The Ambassadors†. Similarly, outstanding masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Botticelli, Van Eyck, Holbein, Durer, Lotto, Pontormo and Bellini are featured (Artdaily.org, 2008). The curator, Susan Foister has stated that the exhibition examines the reasons why portraits were made during the Renaissance, â€Å"the motivations that animated lives are the same as those today. Love,