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IMC 2016: Sessions

Session 1635: Exploring the 14th Century across the Eastern and Western Christian World, II: Abundance and Nearness - Communicating with the Viewer

Thursday 7 July 2016, 11.15-12.45

Sponsor:Courtauld Institute of Art, London / University of York
Organisers:Livia Lupi, Department of History of Art, University of York
Maria Alessia Rossi, Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London
Moderator/Chair:Christine Ungruh, Kunsthistorisches Institut, Freie Universität Berlin
Paper 1635-aMultiplying Figures and Expounding Narrative: The Role of the Crowd in 14th-Century Depictions of Christ's Miracle Cycle
(Language: English)
Maria Alessia Rossi, Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London
Index terms: Art History - Painting, Byzantine Studies, Social History
Paper 1635-bArchitectural Delight: The Rhetoric of Painted Architecture in the 14th Century
(Language: English)
Livia Lupi, Department of History of Art, University of York
Index terms: Art History - Painting, Language and Literature - Italian, Rhetoric
Paper 1635-cByzantine Nearness and Renaissance Distance in 14th-Century Italian Painting
(Language: English)
Hans Bloemsma, Department of Art History, University College Roosevelt, Universiteit Utrecht
Index terms: Art History - Painting, Religious Life, Theology
Abstract

It is commonly acknowledged that whilst 14th-century Western artists explored three-dimensionality, Byzantine art maintained an abstract character. However, visual evidence demonstrates that similar changes occurred in both Eastern and Western art at this time: the number of figures increases and architectural settings become more detailed. This art-historical session reassesses points of contact between East and West by examining the role of narrative in Byzantine and Serbian depictions of Christ's Miracle Cycle; by reflecting on the prominence of architecture and abundance of architectural detail in both Eastern and Western painting; and by looking at Byzantine modes of representation in Italian art.