“Dominikos Theotokopoulos, El Greco, is still, in some ways, an enigma,” says Modern Greek professor Dr Alfred Vincent, wondering “how is it that so many myths have grown up about El Greco?”
Dr Vincent will present a lecture to answer that question and many more when he presents ‘El Greco: Man, Myth and Manner’ this Thursday evening as a part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne.
Dr Vincent has a degree in Classics, a PhD on a Modern Greek topic, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Crete. In 1973 he was appointed to introduce Modern Greek studies at the University of Sydney, where he taught until 1998, and is now an honorary affiliate. Much of his research has been on the society and culture of Venetian Crete; he has worked extensively on primary sources as a guest of the Hellenic Institute in Venice.
With the aid of Powerpoint slides, he will trace the development of El Greco’s work from Crete to Venice, Rome, and Spain, while aiming to address some basic questions such as:
· How do recent discoveries about El Greco’s early life affect our understanding of his work?
· How is his art related to the post-Byzantine tradition in which he was trained?
· What is his relationship to the Mannerist style that was spreading throughout Europe in his time?
· How did he fit into the militant Catholic society of his adopted country, Spain, which was so different from that of his homeland, Crete?
When: Thursday 17 August at 7.00 pm
Where: Greek Centre, 168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC
For more information, call (03) 9662 2722