Envisioning the Eucharist:
Transcending the Literal in Medieval and Byzantine Art

The Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art
(ASCHA) seeks papers that examine how Eucharistic doctrine was
propagated - or challenged - in Byzantine and medieval art from the
twelfth to fifteenth centuries. We are especially interested in how
artists envisioned the Eucharist theologically and transcended literal
representaiton of the Last Supper to convey other dimensions of the
Eucharistic Mystery. Immediate examples include the Gregory Mass or
Byzantine melismos (the infant Christ depicted on the paten), but how
else was somatic presence visually expressed? Are there new scholarly
angles on such visualizations? In what suprising ways was Eucharistic
theology optically conveyed?

The symposium's kenote speaker is the University of Chicago's Aden
Kumler, who will present research from her forthcoming book "The
Multiplication of the Species: Medieval Economies of Form, Accident
and Substance."

Proposals of no more than 300 words should be submitted, with a cover
letter and 2 page C.V. by September 1, 2013 to Dr. Matthew Milliner
matthew.millinerwheaton.edu and Dr. James Romaine
drjamesromainegmail.com

The symposium will be held at the Art Institute of Chicago on February
11, 2014, one day prior to the CAA’s annual conference. The symposium
is free with museum admission.

For more information, visit
http://christianityhistoryart.org/assets/aschacfp-2014.pdf