FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2012

Department of Art and Design Speaker Series presents Moseley-Christian

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- The Department of Art and Design Speaker Series presents Dr. Michelle Moseley-Christian, who will speak on “The Transformation of the ‘Wild Woman’ in the Visual Arts.” 

The lecture will take place on Monday, April 2, at 7:15 p.m. in the Mary Evelyn Stringer Auditorium in the Art and Design Building. 

Legends of “wild women” date to the late Middle Ages in stories about human-like figures, covered in hair, who lived in forests. Moseley-Christian notes that the wild woman “was known for her hideous ugliness, a violent temper, her lust for human men and a reputation for cannibalism.”  In the 15th century, however, visual artists changed this terrifying medieval creature into a “beautiful, nurturing caregiver.” 

Moseley-Christian’s presentation will examine how and why the folk tradition of the wild woman changed so radically.

Hailing from north Alabama, Moseley-Christian is an assistant professor in art history at Virginia Tech and specializes in Dutch and Flemish Baroque art and Renaissance art.  She has published and presented conference papers on the topic of the ‘wild woman’ of the Renaissance era as well as a number of other topics.

The lecture is free and open to the public.