Tuesdays, November 12 - December 17, 2024
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
Admission: $150 (Paid Patreon Members) / $170

PLEASE NOTE: All classes will be recorded for those who cannot attend live

The cult of the Virgin is both ancient and timeless, and is still very much a living tradition in Catholic cultures worldwide. According to tradition, St Luke, the Apostle and Evangelist, created the very first image rendered of the Virgin Mary. It would prove to be the beginning of a long, complex iconographical history. The mother of Jesus is by far the most important—and most frequently-depicted—of all Catholic saints. A global overview of images of the enthroned Blessed Mother will reveal that her appearance in art is not consistent; it changes according to the cultures of the artists and their audiences.

Mary appears in the Bible fewer than a dozen times. Scenes like the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, and Presentation have traditionally been popular sources of Christian imagery. Less well-known is her apocryphal tradition, which is full of obscure, forgotten stories, such as her birth, and her marriage to Joseph. The Protoevangelium of James, for example, tells us that when she was six months old she could walk seven steps, and that she laughed and blushed at the Annunciation. We’ll study these texts and look at how they have inspired Marian works of art.

Other images of Mary are based not upon textual sources, but on sacred Catholic traditions. These include the aftermath of her death, her bodily Assumption into Heaven, and her Coronation as its queen. Because of her postmortem bodily Assumption, she left no physical remains on earth, but there are numerous second-class relics associated with her, including locks of hair, clothing, and even vials of milk.

The Virgin has also had a long history of miraculous apparitions. We’ll get to know stories like that of St Bernard of Clairvaux, who had ecstatic visions of drinking the Virgin’s breast milk. We'll also look at the numerous instances where she has appeared to ordinary people. According to these experiences, what does Mary look like, and what message does she have for the people of Earth?

There have also been numerous miraculous paintings and sculptures of Mary that move, weep and speak. We’ll consider what these phenomena can tell us about the Virgin and about her devotees.

Student participation will be encouraged. Did you encounter images of Mary that piqued your interest?  Were there pictures of her in the house you grew up in? What do they tell you about your family and culture? You will also be invited to share with us images of Mary in stained glass, paint, plaster or stone from your own hometown churches or travels.

Brenda Edgar is an Art Historian in Louisville, KY.  Her research interests include relics and reliquaries, medieval medical manuscripts and depictions of disease in medieval art, as well as the historical role of altered states of consciousness in the creation of art. In addition to her work for Morbid Anatomy, she teaches Art History courses at Indiana University Southeast. Her free monthly public talk series, “Art History Illustrated,” is presented at the Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana. When she isn’t reading or writing, Brenda is a New York Times Crossword Puzzle addict as well as a yoga instructor.