2008–2009 Villa Research Theme

In 2008–2009 the scholars program at the Getty Villa builds upon the work of Villa Professor François Lissarrague and focuses on the creation, circulation, and reception of images in antiquity. How ancient images functioned in later periods will also be of interest. The Greek polis gave birth to a foundational system of representation based on a precise idea of the human body. How were these representations employed? What were the Bronze Age antecedents of such images? What criteria did the Etruscans and the Romans use in selecting and reproducing Greek images? More generally, how did images "react" to the subjectivities of viewers both at the centers and the periphery of the Greco-Roman world? Scholars who wish to be in residence at the Getty Villa and whose projects address the power, transfer, and function of images in the ancient Mediterranean world are encouraged to apply.