Zu Dominiak - What Can Hans Memling: The Painter Of (The Other) Renaissance Teach Us?

Hans Memling: Malarz (Tego Drugiego) Renesansu by Łukasz Pawlak is a comic that has been created to celebrate Year of Memling in Gdańsk, Poland, and has ben published by the Voivoideship and City Library. The book is primarily about Memling’s life story, which is presented as a fun cartoon. However, a lot of other educational elements are smuggled in into this attractive and engaging publication: historical context of renaissance, motives and themes common in art of the time, as well as analysis of some of the artworks created by Memling. In total there is a multitude of information presented, covering fields of history and history of art. Each of these aspects is presented using different visual methods, which is what this paper will focus on. It will report the types of information that form the publication: methodology, historical context, biography, provenance and analysis of selected paintings, reproductions of these paintings, as well as art historical themes of the time, and dissect the way in which they are presented.