This research will explore the impact that the 1348 Black Plague and earlier outbreaks might have had in the remodeling and decoration of the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome. It will examine the history of the building from its origins to the fourteenth-century, focusing particularly on the role played by the Franciscan order. The study will then analyze decorative and architectural works associated with the spread of the disease– the medieval icon in its main altar, the marble staircase, and the facade of the church– to better understand the intricate connections between myth, death, and collective memory.
Faculty Sponsor: Ricardo De Mambro Santos
Discipline: Art History
This presentation will discuss how the rings seen and used in Dutch master Jan Gossart’s secular portraits support an implicit narrative of aristocratic power. It will argue that each portrait is constructed both with visual codes of the Renaissance Netherlands and within a courtly culture of humanism, metaphorically connecting to the authority of Ancient Rome. A case study focusing on a portrait depicting Anna van Bergen will explore and attempt to analyze the Netherlands’ ties to the Spanish crown, to humanistic thought, and uncover by extension the implicit narratives of power both in this piece and other Gossart’s portraits.
Faculty Sponsor: Ricardo De Mambro Santos
Discipline: Art History
This presentation will investigate the ways in which certain works made by Renaissance master, Michelangelo, might have been affected by his sexuality. By exploring a selected group of pieces created and gifted to Tommaso Cavalieri, this study aims to demonstrate that one can better understand the nature of Michelangelo’s art when viewed through the intersectionality of his sexuality and aesthetic preferences in relation to the cultural, societal, and behavioral norms circulating in late fifteenth-century and early sixteenth-century Italy.
Faculty Sponsor: Ricardo De Mambro Santos
Discipline: Art History
The purpose of this project is to unpack Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s proximity to queerness within his representations of femininity and sexuality, and his capturing of sex workers in a unique, realistic light, characterized by a significant lack of objectification. I aim to explain how and why his paintings offer a portal into the often-unseen aspects of the livelihoods of these women, transferring their vitality onto images without erasing the verisimilitude of the day-to-day. A very select number of works, such as the depictions of Yvette Gilbert, will be utilized in connection with the concept of “queerness” and according to a postmodern perspective on identity and relationships outside the parameters of heteronormativity.
Faculty Sponsor: Ricardo De Mambro Santos
Discipline: Art History
Harry Clarke was a Catholic Irish illustrator who was highly active in the Irish Arts and Crafts movement, in a period in which latent tensions between Protestant Unionists and Catholic Separatists were trending toward outright conflict. This presentation aims to investigate the iconography of Clarke’s illustrations of Edgar Allan Poe’s Manuscript in a Bottle, focusing primarily on analyzing the various elements within this image that show the artist’s bias towards the Catholic separatist movement in Ireland.
Faculty Sponsor: Ricardo De Mambro Santos
Discipline: Art History
Swiss artist Paul Klee’s paintings, drawings, and overall contributions to visual theory as a professor at the Bauhaus has led to worldwide recognition and acclaim as an innovative master and thinker. However, equally important are the works that were not meant to be shared with public audiences, such as the lovingly crafted and beautifully designed hand puppets made for his son Felix. This project will attempt to draw comparisons between Paul Klee’s theoretical writings and the creation of the ensemble of puppets, all while analyzing their connections to the motifs widely present in Klee’s greater body of work.
Faculty Sponsor: Ricardo De Mambro Santos
Discipline: Art History
I am an Autistic scholar and an art history major and for my Carson Research Grant, I created a public-facing podcast with episodes exploring these topics and then delving into the symbol of the labyrinth, exploring its genealogy in art and literature, and then using it as a metaphor to explain my experience as an Autistic person. I plan to discuss some of my findings from the podcast.
Faculty Sponsor: Ricardo De Mambro Santos
Discipline: Art History
This paper examines the 1991 Sino-Russian Border Agreement, investigating how the agreement came to be and both the historical and present-day impact. The case study exemplifies how China handles territorial disputes, interacts with other states within the international system, and even helps decode current Sino-Russian relations. Using primary and secondary material, I argue that much of Chinese foreign policy and relations is influenced by the country's history and cultural values. I end by comparing the 1991 agreement to current territorial issues, and wonder what can be learned from the former in trying to solve the latter.
Faculty Sponsor: Juwen Zhang
Discipline: Chinese Studies
First, background information will be given to inform the audience of the basic features, purposes and historical developments within Medieval Islamic ceramics, with special care taken to analyze how these artifacts fit within these types and trends.The principal aim of my presentation is to demonstrate the ability of portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) technology to precisely describe the composition and origin of glazed pottery, in this case demonstrated through an analysis of Medieval Ceramics from Islamic lands. It is the goal of this presentation to explain the basic processes, theoretical framework and methodologies associated with pXRF analysis of ceramics. Further, comparanda is provided to reinforce compositional analysis findings.
Faculty Sponsor: Ann Nicgorski
Discipline: Archaeology
In this talk, I will be presenting the results of a semester-long study of obsidian artifacts excavated within the Willamette Valley. The goal of this research was to determine provenance of archaeological obsidians through Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (pXRF). By matching the geochemical signature of obsidian tools, debitage, and cores to a larger, area-wide database, I sought to establish the origin of the obsidian used in the creation of these artifacts. Through incorporation of historical and ethnographic records, I also aimed to further expand our understanding of exchange routes in the Pacific Northwest, precontact.
Faculty Sponsor: Ann Nicgorski
Discipline: Archaeology
In this talk, I will investigate the numismatic iconography of seventh-century Byzantine usurpers. I will begin by discuss the history of seven-century of Byzantine coinage and history. Next, I will explore the roles of coinage in imperial life, and the iconography used on coins. This exploration will consist of examining the coins of the emperors Maurice (582-602) and Phocas (602-610) from the Hallie Ford Museum of Art collection. Finally, I will describe how methodically exploring the iconographic elements on coinage reveals how usurper sought to gain legitimacy.
Faculty Sponsor: Ann Nicgorski
Discipline: Archaeology