Peter Schultz on “Style, continuity, and the Hellenistic Baroque”

6:00 PM, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2013

O’SHAUGNESSY EDUCATION CENTER AUDITORIUM UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

The sculpture of the Hellenistic period – specifically "Hellenistic baroque" sculpture – is often characterized as a rather revolutionary break with previous sculptural traditions in the ancient Greek world. In this lecture, Dr. Peter Schultz re-examines this position. Dr. Schultz's argument is not that the conventional characterization of the Hellenistic baroque as "revolutionary" is incorrect. Rather, his argument is that the familiar characterizations of the Hellenistic baroque as "new" or "innovative" or "revolutionary" have obscured another important art historical reality. Namely, that several underlying aspects of the Hellenistic baroque are firmly rooted in a stylistic tradition that extends directly back to the sculpture of the fifth century B.C.E., specifically to the sculpture of fifth and fourth century Athens. This "Classical" pedigree of the quintessential "Hellenistic" style has some ramifications regarding how the "baroque mode" was used by Hellenistic sculptors. Perhaps more importantly, examination of this "baroque tradition" allows for some rather interesting speculation as to what the sculpture crafted in the Baroque style might have meant to the artists, patrons, and communities that made, purchased, and consumed it.

About the Speaker: Dr. Peter Schultz is the Olin J. Storvick Chair of Classical Studies, Chair of the Department of Art, at Concordia College, Moorhead. Dr. Schultz' research interests include Ancient Greek history and art history; Classical and Hellenistic archaeology; the social history of art; archaeological theory; the Classical tradition; the topography of early Greece; the archaeology of death, ritual and cult; early, medieval and contemporary Greek dance, music, poetry and landscape. Dr. Schultz has received numerous awards and honors. He has published numerous articles, co-edited a number of books and is currently preparing his book The Temple of Athena Nike. Art, Politics and Agency in Classical Athens for publication.  

Please note: There will NOT be an AIA dinner with the speaker after the lecture.

A map with the lecture location and parking information can be found here:

http://webapp.stthomas.edu/campusmaps/?campus=stpaul&lng=-93.1923758983612&lat=44.9436753878781&maptype=UST&zoomlevel=16&searchtype=buildings&searchterm=John%20R.%20Roach%20Center%20for%20the%20Liberal%20Arts%20%28JRC%29&ids=[%2254%22]