ABSTRACTS #2

Art History [Istoria tis Technis] journal

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Art Exhibitions, Associations, Societies and Unions in Nineteenth Century Athens

Yannis Bolis

The students’ exhibitions of the Royal School of Arts (Polytechnion) during the period of its operation (1844-62) under the direction of the architect Lysandros Kaftantzoglou and the art departments of the Olympian General Exhibitions (1858, 1870, 1875, 1888) were the only opportunity afforded by Greek artists to present their work within a formal, state organization in the 19th century. The individual exhibitions that took place, particularly during the last two decades of the century, were mainly organized by associations and groups of art lovers who served as substitutes for the lack of artistic institutions and organized state structures, while the efforts of artists to organize themselves in associations had limited potential.

Yannis Bolis holds a PhD in Art History from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and works as a curator at the State Museum of Contemporary Art-The Costakis Collection. He has authored two studies on nineteenth century Greek printmaking and monographs on Greek artists, curated exhibitions of Greek art, and contributed to the organization and production of international exhibitions [bolis@greekstatemuseum.com].

Art and Anatomy at the Royal Academy of London: Multiple Representations of the Body in the Age Conservative Reaction (Part II)

Aris Sarafianos

This essay explores the structure and aspirations intrinsic in models of anatomical teaching and representation, which are directly opposed to genteel versions analyzed in the previous article. In particular, it is shown that the “anatomy of expression”, proposed by Charles Bell, introduced an anatomical approach to the human figure, whose hyper-naturalist, material and sensationist nature antagonized and reversed the intellectual, abstract and conservative principles of polite anatomies, such as Anthony Carlisle’s academic version. Furthermore, the last section of the essay demonstrates that the conflict between Bell and Carlisle over the issue of realism and abstraction in art formed an inextricable part of a wider political clash between conservative reaction and liberal reform in early-nineteenth-century Britain. In conclusion, both parts of this paper aim to highlight the fact that the body, together with its various surfaces and functions, was, in this period, raised into a privileged, concrete and intimate screen for the projection of a diversity of competing approaches to the problem of life’s management and optimization. From the same standpoint, the broad bio-political nature of similar scientific and artistic conflicts is revealed, including, most importantly, their historical function as focal points for the articulation of competing biological models, antagonistic sensorial economies, contrarian modes of artistic expression and opposite ideals of bio-political existence, driven apart by equally divisive political and professional aspirations.

Aris Sarafianos is an Assistant Professor in Art History at the University of Ioannina. His research focuses on the interdisciplinary and inter-professional entanglements of art history and the history of biomedical sciences since the middle of the 18th century [asarafia@cc.uoi.gr]. The first part (Part I) of Aris Sarafianos’s paper, dealing with the activities and theories of Anthony Carlisle, was published in the first issue of the journal; see Istoria tis Technis [Art History], 1, Winter 2013, pp. 89-112.

On T.J. Clark

Panagiotis Bikas

This paper explores the writings of T.J. Clark, a member of the Situationist International (1966-1967), and more especially a set of his books and articles written from The Absolute Bourgeois: Artists and Politics in France to The Painting of Modern Life. Paris in the Art of Manet and his Followers. Drawing on Guy Debord’s thoughts on the Spectacle and everyday life, Clark endeavored to enrich the traditional social history of art. In principal, Clark was interested in French art of the 19th century, in his attempt to connect art with politics at a time crucial for the emergence of a new type of capitalism.

Panagiotis Bikas holds a PhD in Art History from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He works as a curator at the Telloglion Foundation of Art. His research interests focus on the relationship between politics and art, Greek painting of the 19th century and the history of illustrated magazines and comics [mpikasp@yahoo.com].

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Why Art is Dangerous: Making Art is Making Trouble

Donald Preziosi

This essay was specially written for the Istoria tis Technis [Art History] journal. Translated into Greek by Annie Malama.

Donald Preziosi is a Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles.

translatio

Leonardo and Freud: An Art-Historical Study

Meyer Schapiro

Journal of the History of Ideas, 17, (2), April 1956, pp. 147-178. Edited by Nikos Daskalothanassis. Translated into Greek by Antigoni Leakou – Angeliki Papanikolaou.