Women and the Origins of Greek Art: Lecture Series – The Hellenic Centre
Tracing nearly three millennia of women’s contributions to the visual arts, The Origin of Painting: Greek Women Artists from Antiquity to the Present begins with a lecture exploring the women at the very beginnings of Greek artistic history.
According to Pliny the Elder, painting itself began with the gesture of a Greek woman: Kora of Sicyon, who traced the outline of her departing lover’s shadow onto a wall in an attempt to preserve his image. Although this story became a founding myth of Western art, the women who followed in Kora’s footsteps have often remained overlooked.
Led by art historian Gelly Gryntaki, Spinning Myths, Painting Shadows considers the role of women in mythology and ancient society, bringing together figures including Arachne and Penelope alongside some of the earliest female painters for whom historical evidence survives, such as Timarete and Anaxandra.
Taking place on Thursday 22 October at 7pm, the richly illustrated lecture marks the first instalment in a wider series that will continue through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries before turning to sculpture, performance, installation and video art in 2027. Each session is accompanied by a curated bibliography and further recommendations for exploring the artists and ideas discussed.
Find out more here.
Event Details
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