Weitzmann’s Hands-On Influence

In his Portrait of Kurt Weitzmann (March issue), Harrison Blackman writes: “Perhaps his impact was due to his hands-on approach.” I certainly agree.  When I took Weitzmann’s Art 206 course in the spring of my junior year, 1961, it literally changed my life.  Besides his brilliant lectures on medieval art, Weitzmann’s personal involvement in this course was inspirational.  Not only did he teach all the precepts himself, usually introduced with a work of art he brought from the museum, but he also took us on two field trips — to see Byzantine manuscripts at Firestone Library and to see medieval treasures in the Morgan Library in New York City on a Saturday morning.  And when handing back our term papers, he discussed his copious written comments with each student in a 30-minute individual consultation! Then later, in March of my senior year, I finally came to the realization that I wanted to study medieval art in graduate school, so I went to Dr. Weitzmann for advice.  My dilemma was that I did not know where to go, and it was in any event too late for written applications.  After discussing the situation with me, Weitzmann’s solution was to pick up the phone and call Dr. Adolf Katzenellenbogen at Johns Hopkins. He personally arranged an interview for me with Dr. K., and the rest is history.   

Editor’s note: The writer received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1968 and is the N. Ferebee Taylor Professor Emeritus of the History of Art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.