IMC 2012: Sessions

Medieval image-makers who adhered to tradition have left traces that, like pieces of a puzzle, modern scholars can use to interpret medieval visual culture. But what of those who broke with visual tradition? Why did artists choose to diverge from accepted practice? In what ways did they break away from standard iconography? How did such images challenge the expectations of their audiences, and what were the religious, political, and economic implications? This panel addresses these questions and explores the ways that certain medieval works challenged contemporary notions through innovation and in their refusal to conform to traditional models. Looking at painting, sculpture, and manuscript traditions, the papers in this session come together to demonstrate why and how alternative - and sometimes opposing - visual representations coexisted in medieval art.