Gods, Heroes and Monsters: Greek Myth in the Visual Arts

3 credits

AMS-1170

Ancient Mediterranean Studies
College of Arts and Science

Meet the gods, heroes and monsters of ancient Greece face to face! Introduction to the artistic traditions according to which the pre-Christian Greeks depicted their myths in painting and in sculpture, combined with explorations into some of the ancient social contexts in which depictions of divine and heroic figures and their monstrous opponents were displayed, including temples and wine-drinking parties. Comparison and contrast of ancient artifacts with medieval and modern visual adaptations of the same Greek stories, including ballet choreography and rock music videos. By the end of this course, students will have gained the ability to recognize, decipher, and interpret the coded stylistic conventions that ancient Greek artists used to visualize their myths.