Uploaded December 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
2018 Louise Smith Bross Lectures with Milette Gaifman
“Classification and the History of Greek Art”
Lecture 2: “The Limits of Taxonomy”
May 14, 2018
How do classifications inform our understanding of artworks from Classical antiquity? How did labels shape the formation of the history of Greek art? In these lectures Milette Gaifman (Associate Professor of Classics and History of Art, Yale University) explores the fundamental role of the classificatory act in our viewing of Greek art and architecture in the modern era. Taking a Classical Athenian monument as its point of departure, the series examines how ancient finds, such as bronze figurines, marble temples or painted vases relate to art historical categories such as sculpture, painting, or decorative arts. It considers the consequences of the gaps between historical artifacts and existing taxonomies, as well as the ways of expanding our conceptual frameworks when looking at the visual arts of the past.
2018 Louise Smith Bross Lectures with Milette Gaifman
“Classification and the History of Greek Art”
Lecture 2: “The Limits of Taxonomy”
May 14, 2018
How do classifications inform our understanding of artworks from Classical antiquity? How did labels shape the formation of the history of Greek art? In these lectures Milette Gaifman (Associate Professor of Classics and History of Art, Yale University) explores the fundamental role of the classificatory act in our viewing of Greek art and architecture in the modern era. Taking a Classical Athenian monument as its point of departure, the series examines how ancient finds, such as bronze figurines, marble temples or painted vases relate to art historical categories such as sculpture, painting, or decorative arts. It considers the consequences of the gaps between historical artifacts and existing taxonomies, as well as the ways of expanding our conceptual frameworks when looking at the visual arts of the past.
