Virtual exhibition: art-es – from real life into the world of art

From real life into the world of art – Audiovisual presentation based on the painting by Jan Miel Dance in the Trattia, Contribution by the Paintings Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna as a project partner of art-es, a Cooperation between Universidad de Málaga, Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien.

The digital exhibition art-es, to which the Paintings Gallery contributed the audiovisual presentation on the painting Dance in the Trattoria by Flemish painter Jan Miel (1599–1664), has been shortlisted for the prestigious ICOM Award. The online exhibition is listed as one of 12 projects in the ‘Partnership’ category. The winners will be announced in November at the ICOM conference in Dubai.


Virtual spaces for historical celebrations, parades, operas, ballets or works of art

From real life into the world of art is a virtual exhibition realised since June 2021, offering an experience midway between an academic publication and an interactive presentation. The result of an international research project, it aims to analyse relationships between visual and performing arts in the European context of the 16th to 18th centuries.

In the Early Modern period, theatrical and festive occasions played a fundamental role in European artistic activity. They brought together artists from different disciplines and backgrounds, generating processes of hybridization between the visual and the performing arts. Such occasions marked «the point of transition from real life into the world of art» (Jacob Burckhardt, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, 1860)

Through an innovative combination of audio-visual media, the exhibition presents 15 narratives relating to historical festivals, entries, operas, ballets and artworks of particular significance within the history of art and the performing arts. By making the content accessible online and giving visitors a choice of routes through it, the exhibition addresses both the academic community and the wider public.

Part of the virtual exhibition is an audiovisual presentation based on the painting Dance in the Trattoria by Flemish painter Jan Miel (1599–1664) from the Paintings Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
The scene depicted, with masked and costumed figures dancing and singing in a boisterous atmosphere, seems to have sprung directly from a piece of Italian improvisational theatre, the Commedia dell'arte. The virtual presentation explores the moment depicted and the significance of this scene in a unique way.