The Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago
Silvio Marchetti
is pleased to invite you to the presentation of

Webs of Desire and Violence: Power Politics and Sexual Politics in Three Works of Florentine Renaissance Art

a lecture by Judith Testa

on Thursday, June 6th at 6:00PM

Italian Cultural Institute
500 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1450
Chicago, IL 60611

No city but Florence contains such an intense concentration of art produced in such a short span of time. The sheer number and proximity of works of painting, sculpture and architecture can be so overwhelming that every year Florentine hospitals treat hundreds of visitors for a cluster of symptoms that include dizziness, fainting, disorientation and utter exhaustion brought on by trying to see too many works of art in too short a time--an illness first described by the French writer Stendhal and now called "Stendhal's Syndrome."

While most guidebooks offer only brief descriptions of a large number of works, with little discussion of their meaning or historical background, Judith Testa gives a fresh perspective on the rich and brilliant art of the Florentine Renaissance in An Art Lover's Guide to Florence. Concentrating on the greatest works by such masters as Donatello, Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Cellini and Michelangelo, Testa explains each piece in terms of the complex interplay of politics, religion and (sometimes) sex involved in the creation of those works.

In her talk, Prof. Testa will not try to cover everything included in her book, but will concentrate on three particularly intriguing sculptures: Donatello's bronze "David with the Head of Goliath" and his "Judith Beheading Holofernes," as well as Cellini's "Perseus and Medusa."

Judith Testa received a PhD in Art History from the University of Chicago and is a professor emerita of Art History at Northern Illinois University. She is the author of Rome Is Love Spelled Backward (Roma Amor): Enjoying Art and Architecture in the Eternal City, and also writes monthly articles for Fra Noi, the monthly magazine of the greater Chicago area Italian American community.

Refreshments will be offered. Reservations kindly suggested.
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