Between Art, Theatre, and Technique | öffentlicher Gastvortrag von Arianna F. Cortese
Between Art, Theatre, and Technique: Articulated Crucifixes in the Venetian Territories (14th–16th Centuries)
The study of articulated crucifixes offers twenty-first-century audiences a glimpse into the dynamic and performative spirituality of the Middle Ages. These movable sculptures reveal a past culture in which sacred images could literally come to life, engaging devotees through movement and emotional dialogue. The territories of the Serenissima Republic of Venice provide a particularly rich context for examining the development and meaning of such articulated works. This presentation adopts a multidisciplinary approach, combining stylistic, functional, and technical analyses to explore this phenomenon within its geographical context. It will present some of the results of the research carried out over the past two years by Arianna Favaretto Cortese, PhD candidate at the University of Verona. Through examples from north-eastern Italy and the coasts of present-day Croatia, and by drawing upon devotional texts, laude, and sermons from the 14th to 16th centuries, the talk will invite the audience to imagine how these sculptures were used and perceived by medieval worshippers.
