Medieval Europe in Motion International Conference Lisbon, 18 - 20 April 2013

The International Colloquium “Medieval Europe in motion” is directly linked to the current postdoctoral research projects of Dr. Maria Alessandra Bilotta on «Portuguese juridical manuscripts production and illumination between 14th and 15th centuries and theirs connections with manuscripts production and illumination in the French “Midi” (specially Toulouse, Avignon and Montpellier) and in the North-Mediterranean regions (Italy and Cataluña)» and by Alicia Miguélez on «The gesture language in the Lorvão Apocalypse and its rapports with other beatus manuscripts».

It is also related to other on-­going investigations on cultural and artistic circulation during the Middle Ages carried out by the Research Group , coordinated by Prof. Maria Adelaide Miranda at the Institute for Medieval Studies of the Nova University (Lisbon)

The main objective of this initiative is to analyze the influence of circulation, motion and mobility of people, forms and ideas on the artistic creation during the Middle Ages. This is not a completely new topic in the field of Medieval Art Studies as several scientific events have already been organized in the past years on this topic. This Colloquium aims thus to conduct a critical and constructive revision of these matters, proposing new questions to be discussed.

Programm

Session 1: The Phenomenon of Circulation and Mobility in Medieval Europe

The first session of the Colloquium aims to contextualize the topic from a historical point of view. Thus, we will approach the phenomenon of mobility in Medieval times as follows: Why did it happen? What kind of “products” used to travel? Who did travel? Where did people travel? What reasons motivated the circulation of people? How did the phenomenon of mobility influence the artistic production?

Session 2: Patrons and Promoters

Regarding the figures of clients and promoters, both individual and institutional, this session will focuse on the following issues: how did fashion and taste influence the promoters’ choices? To what extent did their own travels and vital experiences influence their decisions when ordering new works?

Session 3: Artists and material authors

How did their itinerant lives influence their creations? To what extent was conditioned the production of new works by the presence of foreign artists in specific geographical contexts? How did artists transfer models to new places/media? To what extent were they influenced by the models they saw when passing through other cities and by the artistic tradition they found when arriving to new places?

Session 4: The circulation of models

Regarding the models themselves, we will analyze the concepts of copy, reinterpretation, reuse and re-elaboration of artistic languages, the confluence of several graphic languages in the same work and, finally, the influence of old models in later works.
Session 5: Circulation of works

Regarding the postproduction process, that is the sale and circulation of already finished works, several matters will be approached, such as the artistic market, the existence of a luxury market in medieval times, the act of collecting in the Middle Ages and the process of recently produced works becoming models for new works.

ROUND TABLE: Causes and Driving Forces of the Artistic and Cultural Movement in the Middle Ages

WORKSHOP: “Materials in motion”


Organization Committee

Dr. Alicia Miguélez Cavero
Nova University - Lisbon

Dr. Maria Alessandra Bilotta
Nova University - Lisbon

Scientific Committee

Prof. Christian Heck
Université Charles de Gaulle - Lille 3

Prof. Gerardo Boto Varela
Universidad de Girona

Prof. Maria Adelaide Miranda
Nova University - Lisbon

Prof. Jacqueline Leclercq-Marx
Université Libre de Bruxelles

Prof. Alejandro García Avilés
Universidad de Murcia

Prof. Etelvina Fernández González
Universidad de León

Prof. Alison Stones
University of Pittsburgh

Prof. Miguel Calleja
Universidad de Oviedo

Prof. Michelle Fournié
Université de Toulouse 2 Le Mirail

+ info, registration, call for papers... : https://sites.google.com/site/medievaleuropeinmotion2013/home