Classics Professor Discusses Homer, Plato Depictions in Art

Plato

Eric Casey, an associate classics professor at Sweet Briar, will lead an informal talk at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 in Pannell Gallery. He will discuss two objects on display in the current exhibition, “Language Arts: Images, Words, and Stories Selected From the Permanent Collection.”

Admission is free and open to the public. The subject works depict classical themes from Homer and Plato. The first is a woodcut illustration by the workshop of Michael Wolgemut from The Nuremberg Chronicle, which was published in 1493. In the image, Ulysses is in a boat approaching a shore where the sorceress Circe stands.

“I will talk about how this image is similar to and different from the famous episode in Homer’s “Odyssey,” Casey said. “I will also discuss how the myth of Ulysses and Circe changes over time in both literature and art to reflect contemporary concerns.”

Casey will then turn the conversation to a haunting 20th-century etching by Minna Citron titled “Plato’s Cave.”

“I will talk about Plato’s famous allegory of the cave and why it is somewhat surprising to see an image of this touchstone of Western philosophy,” he said.

Casey’s presentation is the second in a series of ongoing “gallery conversations” taking place this year in conjunction with exhibitions of works from Sweet Briar’s permanent art collection. The informal talks are led by College faculty or staff and are meant to bring a perspective different from that of an art historian.

“The focus is on the interesting story behind the images,” said SBC galleries director Karol Lawson, who organized the series with the aim of bringing visitors from both on and off campus into Pannell who are not regular patrons.

Religion professor John Goulde will speak next on Nov. 19 about Suzuki Harunobu’s woodblock print illustrating the ancient Japanese classic known as “The Tale of Genji.”

The conversations will resume next semester when a second exhibition featuring works from the College’s permanent collection, titled “Art/Art History,” will be open from Jan. 20 to April 4 in Pannell.

For more information, please contact Lawson at “klawson @ sbc.edu “or (434) 381-6248.