The wonder of Crete is set to be explored from a unique angle in an upcoming lecture, focusing on the beauty of the 14th century frescoes in the Kandano-Selinou region found among various churches on the island.
The Greek Community of Melbourne will hold a seminar titled ‘Cretan Churches and their emotional echoes: 14th century frescoes of Kantanos-Selino’ on Thursday, 13 March at the Greek Centre.
The lecture will be delivered by Olympia Nelson, a PhD Candidate in the Department of Modern Greek & Byzantine Studies at the University of Sydney, who conducted recent fieldwork research of these frescoes in Crete.
Nelson, also the Early Career Researcher Representative for the Australasian Association for Byzantine Studies, will delve into three topics in her lecture.
These include presenting five churches that form part of her recent fieldwork research in the Kandano-Selinou region, covering their iconographic programmes and stylistic trends, and exploring the challenges and rewards of conducting fieldwork on the island.
Frescoes are a unique aspect of Crete’s artistic landscape, an often-overlooked part of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art.
Frescoes represent the work of painting on plastered walls, combining the art into its surface.
Nelson’s talk will shed further light on the frescoes ingrained into the churches in Crete, which showcase the richness of the Eastern Mediterranean and its visual traditions.
While primarily iconographic, the lecture situates these works within Nelson’s broader investigation of emotion in Byzantium.
The event, sponsored by the Greek-Australian Society, is free for all to attend.
