Speaker: Sophie Oosterwijk
6 June 2023
A portrait can be much more than a straightforward likeness of a person.
A cryptoportrait may at first sight not look like a portrait at all, because it can be disguised perhaps as an Adoration of the Magi with real people playing the parts of the Magi or as a statue of a prophet or saint with the features of a patron, or the artist’s self-portrait may be hidden amongst a host of other faces. Through-out Western art we may discover such concealed portraits if we look carefully and are prepared to recognise these games that artists and patrons chose to play with the beholder.
Profile
Sophie was born in Gouda in The Netherlands. She has an MA and PhD in English Literature from the University of Leiden, an MA in Medieval Studies from York and a PhD in Art History from Leicester.
She has taught at the universities of St Andrews, Leicester and Manchester, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, National Trust, V&A, U3A, WEA and other organisations, and she has organised many study days, tours and visits.
She is also a regular lecturer for Cambridge University and travel companies, and is Vice President of the Church Monuments Society.