We are a cross-disciplinary and international research network interested in the dialogues between the Ancient and the Modern worlds. Our focus of attention is the reception of Antiquity in the visual and performing arts and more generally in visual culture and media in all its renderings and representations.
Imagines 8. Pagan Pornotopias? The Reception of Antiquity in Eroticism and Pornography. Madrid, September Wednesday, September Antiquity in 18 th and 19 th Century Eroticism. Eroticism vs. Female Revenge. Sexualised Retelling of the Iliad and Odyssey. To attend in presence or online, please register by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots.
You need JavaScript enabled to view it. An important aspect of this eroticised characterisation of ancient Rome is its implicit opposition to Christian morality and sexual repression , which derives from the narratives of Christian chastity and martyrdom that have been so widespread and relevant in Western cultural memory since the Middle Ages. Yet this is not the only reason that has fostered a markedly erotic relationship between the modern times and the ancient world.
Similarly, ancient historical or mythological figures such as Sappho or the Amazons have been deployed to shape and legitimise female homosexual identity. The aim of this conference is to investigate the role played by the ancient world in shaping erotic and pornographic representations, and thus in representing and structuring attraction and desire. This analysis will help in understanding how references to Antiquity play, at a more or less conscious level, a crucial role in defining, stereotyping, constructing in discourse and legitimating sexual identities, sexual orientations, gender belonging and performance.
Strong Western Michigan University. See conference programme and abstracts. The Imagines logo integrates in one single design the interaction between different artistic expressions that shapes our project.
