R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar: The Deep Time of Renaissance Painting
January 14, 2027, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
At the Museum
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Talk: The Deep Time of Renaissance Painting
Speaker: Dr. Chris Nygren
When: Thursday, January 14, 2027, 6:00–7:00 p.m.
Where: Art Theater and online via Zoom
Tickets: Free. Museum admission not required.
In 1530 the Venetian painter Sebastiano del Piombo (1485–1547) chose an unusual surface for a painting of Christ: a large hewn stone. Treating the stone as a portable canvas, Sebastiano created a work of art that his contemporaries viewed as “almost eternal” and initiated 150 years of a flourishing practice of painting on stone. From slate, to lapis lazuli, to amethyst, painters made dizzying works atop all sorts of stones. Blending ecocriticism with art history, this talk examines the ecological, religious, and cultural contexts in which this idiosyncratic genre emerged and unearths the hidden labor of stone masons, international and colonial circuits of exchange, and the philosophy of the time.
Registration is required to attend R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars. Register here to attend in person or click here to join us via Zoom.
Upcoming R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars
Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.
