Retelling the Greek myths in Western art
Weekend-long art history and theory course
16 November 2019 10am - 5pm17 November 2019 10am - 5pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy of Arts
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Terms and conditions
Join the RA's Professor of Ancient Literature, Dame Mary Beard, and a lineup of experts and scholars as they explore how Greek myths have been retold in Western Europe through art, visual cultural and art history.
The stories of Greek mythology stay with us thanks to their enigmatic characters, universal themes and the way they explain the human condition; it is no coincidence they are integral tools in the study of psychology and psychoanalysis, given how they tackle self-understanding and questions of identity. But how have these myths influenced artists and our visual cultural?
Myths, like art, are constantly reinventing themselves and being retold to reflect their contemporary context. Surviving antiquities continue to shape art history and visual culture. By looking at how people in different eras respond to the classical world, we can gain valuable insights into their respective art and ideas. In essence, this course will examine the impact of the fascinating collision between two distinct forms of art: the oral and the visual.
Join Dame Mary Beard, the RA's Professor of Ancient Literature, alongside other scholars and experts as they explore how Greek myths have play a vital role today and throughout the history of art. From the first retelling of Greek myths by the Romans, to the re-emergence of classical ideals in both the Renaissance and then the Enlightenment, through to the modern and contemporary - artists, philosophers and thinkers have reinterpreted Greek myths in ways that still resonate with us today.
The course includes a visit to the RA Library and Archives and to the Royal Academy's exhibition of John Flaxman's engravings of The Illiad and The Odyssey with the opportunity to experience this exhibition and discuss its contemporary significance.
About the course
This course provides a unique opportunity to learn about Greek myths as they appear in art history by exploring different periods.
This course will be delivered in part through lectures and site visits, but will also include an opportunity for questions and discussion from participants.
Please note, participants are encouraged to take notes in each lecture as printed notes are at the discretion of each speaker.
The course is designed both to enable an historical overview for those new to the field, and to be relevant for those with prior art history knowledge who are keen to learn from experts.
This course is suitable for enthusiastic beginners as well as those with previous knowledge who would like to develop their understanding further.
This course is for you if:
• You have a general interest in art history and would like a novel way to understand art history and theory
• You have an interest in the classics and Greek mythology and would like to understand further how these have been depicted throughout art history
• You would like to enrich your knowledge with an expert perspective and explore in detail the development of self-portraiture
Minimum age 18
Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs.
£420
Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 November 2019
10am-5pm on both days
This course provides:
• Two days of expert-led lectures with the opportunity for questions and discussions
• The opportunity to learn and reflect within a peer group, with discussions facilitated by an expert in the field
• The opportunity to socialise and network with peers in a friendly environment
• A drinks reception at the end of the first day
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the Speakers
Professor Mary Beard is the Royal Academy’s Professor of Ancient Literature. She is a Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Newnham College. Her books include Confronting the Classics, Women and Power and SPQR and she has presented programmes for the BBC including Civilisations and Front Row Late on BBC2.
Annette Wickham is Curator of Works on Paper for the Royal Academy Collections. She has curated numerous exhibitions and displays at the Academy, including John Gibson RA: A British Sculptor in Rome, Daniel Maclise: The Waterloo Cartoon, and Drawing: The Lines of Time with Ann Christopher RA. She regularly publishes and gives talks on aspects of the history of the Royal Academy and its Collections. Most recently, she has curated the exhibition of John Flaxman's original drawings for his illustrations to The Odyssey and The Iliad in the Collections Gallery (from 10 August 2019).
Dr Tim Smith-Laing is a writer and critic based in London. A book reviewer at The Telegraph and a regular feature writer on art for Apollo and frieze, he has written on subjects ranging from Renaissance philosophy to The Monkees, and from Paul Valéry to Hieronymus Bosch. His poetry, fiction and essays have been published in The Junket. Prior to leaving academia in 2014 to concentrate on writing, he took a DPhil in late medieval and early modern mythography and spent three years as a lecturer in literature at Jesus College, Oxford, where he specialised in early modern literature and culture and the theory of criticism.
Dr Simon Lee is Honorary Fellow in the History of Art at the University of Reading. He specialises in French and Spanish art of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with a particular interest in Francisco Goya, Jacques-Louis David, and Eugène Delacroix. He is author of the two volumes on David and Delacroix in the Phaidon Art & Ideas series and has delivered numerous courses for the National Gallery, London. He appeared in the BBC’s In Our Time broadcast on Liberty Leading the People, as well as in the video to accompany the 2016 exhibition Delacroix and the Rise of Modern Art at the National Gallery. He was the consultant for the David, Goya and Delacroix programmes in Tim Marlow’s second series of Great Artists for Channel 5.
Dr James Cahill is a writer and academic based in London. He is the lead author of Flying Too Close to the Sun, a survey of classical myth in western art published by Phaidon in 2018. His book Ways of Being, an anthology of artists’ reflections on their lives, was published last summer by Laurence King. His writing has appeared in publications including Apollo, The Burlington Magazine, Elephant, The Erotic Review, Frieze, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The London Review of Books and The Times Literary Supplement. He has authored or co-authored books on artists including Angus Fairhurst, Maggi Hambling and Richard Patterson. As a curator, he has organised exhibitions at King’s College London and the Museum of Classical Archaeology, Cambridge. In 2017 he completed a PhD at Cambridge University examining the relationship between contemporary art and the classical tradition. His PhD research led to a postdoctoral fellowship at King’s College London, where he helped to set up Modern Classicisms, a multidimensional research project exploring the connections between antiquity and modern art. In January 2020 he will commence a Research Fellowship at King's College London.
Paul Taylor is Curator of the Photographic Collection at the Warburg Institute, University of London, and one of the editors of the Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. His publications include: Dutch Flower Painting 1600-1720 (1995) and Condition: The Ageing of Art (2015). He has written numerous papers on early modern art theory and iconography.
Our courses and classes programme
Our varied programme of short courses and classes provides an opportunity to explore subjects ranging from life drawing to the history of exhibitions and arts management, led by expert tutors and practising artists. These courses introduce traditional art-making processes, as well as perspectives on art history, theory and business.
Give this course as a gift
All of our courses can be purchased as a gift for a friend or family member – giving the gift of education and a remarkable experience. To arrange a personalised Gift Voucher, please contact Anna Pojer, Academic Programmes Manager, by calling 020 7300 5684 or email anna.pojer@royalacademy.org.uk