Clark University - Clarknews spring 2005
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| Giovanni Batista Tiepolo, "Saint Thecia Praying for the Plague-Stricken," 1758-59, the Metropolitan Musem of Art, New York |
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In Closing (spring 2005)
Art of hope and healing
Photos by Tammy Woodard M.A. '98
The exhibit reveals the public's understanding of the plague at that time—that it was caused and cured by God. As noted in this excerpt from the exhibition catalog, the art reminded viewers of the spiritual remedies for the plague.
"…Unlike chroniclers of the period, early modern artists did not primarily seek to document scenes of the plague, its horror and destruction; this was deemed alien to the nature and purposes of what we now call 'fine art.' Rather, art was to be an instrument of healing and encouragement, a mirror and channel of society's search for solace and cure from the heavens, that is, from God and the saints, as well as through ordinary means, such as charity toward one's neighbor.
"Focusing on painting produced in Italy during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, 'Hope and Healing' illuminates the multi-dimensional role of art in times of plague while exploring a wide variety of related aesthetic, religious and social concerns that found expression through art and, indeed, helped shape that art. An interdisciplinary team of scholars brings to bear on the paintings and themes of the exhibition an extensive body of original research and new insight, the fruit of their examination of a broad array of contemporary documentation, including sermons, devotional and medical treatises, chronicles and broadsides, poetry, chapbooks, and biblical commentary, in addition to the more usual sources of art historical research, such as painting contracts, artistic biography, and collection inventories. The first major exhibition outside of Italy devoted to this important subject, ‘Hope and Healing' sheds new light on our understanding of the period as well as the specific works of art that it produced."
"Hope and Healing: Painting in Italy in a Time of Plague, 1500-1800" is on display at the Worcester Art Museum now through Sept. 25.
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Clarknews Spring 2005
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