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Art and Philhellenism. Lord Byron and the Philhellenic visual culture of the 19th century

  • Full title: Art and Philhellenism. Lord Byron and the Philhellenic visual culture of the 19th century
  • Dates: March 9-10, 2024, 11:00am-3:00pm
  • Location:  Philhellenism Museum, Athens
  • Organized by: Philhellenism Museum in collaboration with CHS Greece
  • Open to: All (25 places)
  • Language: Greek
  • Application period: January 17 - February 12, 2024
  • Academic Coordination: Dr. Theodoros Koutsogiannis (Curator of the Hellenic Parliament Art Collection, Harvard CHS Fellow in Philhellenism 2023-24)
  • Activity Administration: Matina Goga (CHS Greece)

About the workshop

Overview

The Philhellenism Museum, in collaboration with the Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece, organizes the workshop " Art and Philhellenism. Lord Byron and the Philhellenic visual culture of the 19th century." CHS Greece, through its annual workshop series, aims to support Hellenic Studies and the broader field of Humanities, and to offer intergenerational, interdisciplinary, lifelong learning opportunities to the public.

The workshop focuses on the general "picture" (with and without quotation marks) of Philhellenism for Greece, examining as a "case study" the figure and philhellenic activity of Lord Byron, as this year marks the 200th anniversary of his death in Messolonghi. On the one hand, the phenomenon of Philhellenism will be analyzed in its visualization through the visual arts, and on the other hand, the multiple presentations of Lord Byron's life and work in the Philhellenic context, especially his decisive influence on it.

Poster of a workshop on Art and Philhellenism with information about the place and dates of the workshop, the title, the theme and the portrait of the coordinator and a reference to the organisers.

Thematic areas – Workshop structure

The approach to the workshop's topic will be structured around the following thematic axes:

Day One: Philhellenic art

  • Boundaries and definitions of Philhellenic art
  • Hellenolatry in the visual arts before 1821
  • Philhellenic art during the Struggle for Greek Independence
  • The spread of Philhellenic iconography in the late 19th century
  • The adoption of the Philhellenic view by Modern Greek art

Day Two: The image of the "Hellene" Byron

  • The figure of Lord Byron in art in general
  • The influence of Byronic literature on the visual arts
  • Byronic/Philhellenic themes (distinction and/or identification)
  • The commemoration of Lord Byron as an absolute figure of Philhellenism
  • The "use" of the emblematic figure of the "Hellene" Byron
  • Visit to the Museum's works of art and focus on the Byronic

During the workshop meetings, the academic coordinator will introduce the above topics, and participants are invited to contribute actively to the group's discussions. The workshop includes an interactive tour of the museum's collections, particularly its works of art. In addition, ten days before the workshop, participants will receive relevant reading material that they may optionally study in advance.

Learn more about the workshop's objectives and participation process (in Greek).