John Hanson
Gods and Heroes in Christian Byzantium
The Byzantine Empire did more than simply adopt Christianity as the state religion; it envisioned itself as a reflection of the Kingdom of God on earth. Why, then, did the gods, goddesses and heroes of pagan Greece and Rome continue to populate their artworks?
An especially curious class of art object is the ivory box, of which many examples survive. The reliefs are dominated by pagan material, almost never Christian. The imagery is only partly explained by the Byzantines' admiration for Classical culture. The raucous, even bawdy narratives chosen also reveal that below the veneer of official Christian decorum, they harbored the same desires that allowed the ancients to embrace such earthy myths.
Dr. Hanson is the Exhibition Associate, Byzantine Collection at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington D.C.
When and where to hear this lecture: Thursday, April 8, 2010, at the Lakeview Museum, 1125 W. Lake Ave., Peoria, Illinois.
Other programs in the Fine Arts Society's 2009-2010 Lecture series: "The Michelangelo Project" with Dr. Harry Spell, "Andy Worhol in the 21st Century" with Dr. Paula Wisotski, "Roman Art in the Age of Caravaggio" with Dr. Judith Mann, "A Passion for Art Deco" with Bennett Johnson, "Great Midwestern Panes" with Dr. Rolf Achilles and "A History of Haitian Art" with Margaret Andera.
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