ARTH 511(S) The Image of God in Ancient Greek Art
The visual representation of the Greek gods and goddesses poses special interpretive problems because the Greeks held their gods to be not visible in the ordinary sense yet powerfully present. The interpretation of images of deities in Greek art poses especially interesting questions because of the importance of naturalism in ancient conceptions of visual representation. To understand the seemingly paradoxical idea of a naturalistic imagery of supernatural gods, scholars have employed semiology, narratology, phenomenology, and the psychology of religion. In this course, we will explore the representation of gods from those and other points of view. We will acquire an understanding of the basic stylistic, iconographical, and ritual parameters surrounding the imagery of gods through short presentations on individual deities. In a series of in-depth presentations, we will examine influential ancient monuments and modern interpretive problems. Topics will include the sculptures of Delphi, Olympia, and the Parthenon; divine corporeality in poetry; the theology of mortal-immortal relations; the religious-historical phenomena of statue-rituals; the function of representations of deities, and the comparative study of imagery of god in Medieval and Renaissance art.
Format: lecture, discussion, and student presentations. Requirements: one short and one long presentation, one research paper, and participation in class discussion.
Enrollment limit: 12 (expected 8-12). Preference will be given to graduate students, senior art-history majors, and classics majors, in that order.
Hour: HEDREEN