27 September – 6 December 2016
What do all the signs and symbols in paintings mean, if indeed they are there, and why is there an enduring fascination with Greek mythology in the visual arts?
It can all seem somewhat impenetrable. This course will delve into what these hidden meanings really are. You will see how the iconography of mythology can reveal the hidden codes and identify the seemingly mysterious figures in great works of art. It aims to look at the stories which are often re-told in secular Italian and Northern Renaissance painting around, 1400-1600, and also in French Baroque painting. Most often the stories came from antique literary sources which have survived through the middle ages and were the preserve of the rich and cultured.