Not Black and White: Seeing and Naming Africans in Greek Art
Join us for a free talk on Thursday, April 6, at 6 PM. This Symposium is free and open to the public, with RSVP. It will take place in the Naos on Level 2.
rsvp HERE.
ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM:
How do we know when we are looking at images of Africans in Greek art? And how can we talk productively about what Greeks saw in these images? Neither question has a straightforward answer thanks to the conventions used by Greek artists and the conflicting expectations of ancient and modern people about the representation of “race”. In this lecture, Dr. Becky Martin will consider the increasingly popular subject of the representation of Africans in the ancient Mediterranean by focusing on the Greek visual evidence, especially vase paintings of Aithiopians. She will first explore the somatic approach used by Frank M. Snowden, Jr. While his influential work is only sometimes useful for identifying Africans in Greek art, it is revealing of the ideological frameworks Americans bring to the subject. She will then offer observations about how current scholars employ terms such as “Negro”, “Black”, and “African” (or “Black African”) to describe painted and plastic imagery. Her conclusion will share some alternative approaches for seeing and naming Africans in Greek art.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dr. Becky Martin is an archaeologist and associate professor in the Department of History of Art & Architecture, Archaeology Program, at Boston University. Her areas of specialization include Greek art and archaeology and Phoenician art and archaeology. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
SYMPOSIUM SPONSORS:
Archaeological Institute of America- Nashville Society
Centennial Park Conservancy
Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation
NEXT SYMPOSIUM:
Coming soon!