The Agony and the Ecstasy: Sacred and Carnal Devotion to Saints
European art overflows with luxurious depictions of Catholic divinities. Legends of saints' executions were once painted in gruesome detail in the Middle Ages. They were stylised like cartoons to highlight ecstatic pain and suffering: the gorier the holier. In the Renaissance, depictions took on a naturalistic form. What were once graphic images of torture became voluptuous works of art: bulging biceps on arms bound to a tree, full breasts expressing milk, enraptured nude pin-ups punctured by arrows and swords. The faces and bodies of Catholic figures were often portraits of illicit lovers commissioned by bishops, bankers, kings – hidden away in private salons and invitation-only drawing rooms for the delectation of the select few. Join Eric Huang, creator and host of Saint Podcast, in this streaming lecture about the erotic in Catholic legend and art - and explore how devotional images have inspired both sacred and carnal ecstasy since the Renaissance.
[image] Mattia Preti, 'Saint Sebastian', c.1660. Neapolitan Gallery.
Bio:
Eric Huang studied palaeontology. Unfortunately, field work didn't live up to his Jurassic Park dreams, so he worked as a tour guide at Universal Studios until landing a job as secretary to the Creative Director of Disney Publishing, inadvertently launching a career in books.
Today, Eric is the creator of Saint Podcast, an exploration of saints' stories. He's the author of the children's fantasy series, Guardians of the New Moon, that reimagines East Asian legends. And he teaches at City, University of London’ Masters in Publishing course.
Eric lives in London with his boyfriend Brian and their cat McNulty.
Curated & Hosted byMarguerite Johnson is a cultural historian of the ancient Mediterranean, specialising in sexuality and gender, particularly in the poetry of Sappho, Catullus, and Ovid, as well as magical traditions in Greece, Rome, and the Near East. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, with a regular focus on Australia. In addition to ancient world studies, Marguerite is interested in sexual histories in modernity as well as magic in the west more broadly, especially the practices and art of Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton. She is Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
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