medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
CALL FOR PAPERS:
Special Session organized by Gerald B. Guest, John Carroll University, and
Lynn Ransom, The Walters Art Museum.
39th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, May 6-9, 2004.
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The Medieval Diagram: Contexts and Interpretations
Throughout the Middle Ages, diagrams and diagrammatic forms shaped medieval
art and thought. Carried over into medieval intellectual life from
Classical pedagogy, diagrams provided the means by which theologians,
educators, clergy, scientists, and artists could clarify abstract concepts
and demonstrate the harmony of God's creation. They elucidated philosophy,
demonstrated theology, explained natural science, revealed history,
established genealogy, and guided devotion. They are found in the most
utilitarian textbooks or in the most grandly illuminated manuscripts, in
wall paintings, or in the stone floors of great cathedrals. In a culture
that relied on mathematical and numerical harmonies and on meaningful
relationships among abstract concepts, diagrams presented the most logical
means of expressing knowledge for the medieval thinker.
Yet, for all of its relevance to medieval intellectual and artistic life,
the diagram remains relatively little studied by scholars. This session
proposes to look at the medieval diagram from an interdisciplinary
perspective. We seek papers that together will explore the various contexts
in which diagrams were used and the ways in which the medieval user could
interpret them. Some recent literary and art historical scholarship has
explored the role of the diagram, and we would like to continue this study
with specific case studies of use and meaning in examples taken from a wide
chronological and contextual range.
Proposals may be sent by September 15th to:
Lynn Ransom
Dept. of Manuscripts and Rare Books
The Walters Art Museum
600 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
FAX: 410.752.4797
email: [log in to unmask]
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