Events

Loading Events

« All Events

  • This event has passed.

VIRTUAL - The Archaic Smile: It’s No Laughing Matter

April 1, 2021 @ 5:30 pm EDT Pacific Time

This is an online event.



AIA Society: Portland

Lecturer: Jeffrey Hurwit

Undoubtedly the most familiar and recognizable feature on the faces of figures carved in the round or in relief during the Greek Archaic period (c. 750-480 BCE) is a shallow, inscrutable smile that, like the Mona Lisa’s, has defied explanation. The lecture surveys the origin and history of the “Archaic Smile” as well as the history of its interpretation. It is often thought a stylistic “import” from the sculpture of Egypt or the Near East, and it has been variously considered a sign of life, or happiness, or status, or divinity, or even an “optical refinement.” But although certain theories can be eliminated from the discussion and others added, there may in fact be no single, universal explanation for the Smile at all.

Short bibliography and/or website on lecture topic:

J. Boardman, Greek Sculpture: The Archaic Period, 1975

Chaniotis, A., Kaltsas, N., and Mylonopoulos, I., eds.. A World of Emotions: Ancient Greece, 700 BC-200 AD. 2017.

Norton Lecture

Join online lecture
When placing events on your calendar using these buttons, please check that time zone displays correctly.

Details

Date:
April 1, 2021
Time:
5:30 pm EDT
Event Category:

Contact

Thomas Landvatter
Email
landvatt@reed.edu

Other

In-person or Virtual Event
Virtual
Subscribe to the AIA e-Update

support Us

The AIA is North America's largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to archaeology. The Institute advances awareness, education, fieldwork, preservation, publication, and research of archaeological sites and cultural heritage throughout the world. Your contribution makes a difference.