ARTH1914: Scratched and Smashed: History of Destroying Images and Iconoclasm
3 CreditsFreshman SeminarIntellectual Community
Have you ever seen a defaced statue? Ever heard of an image of a holy figure attacked or destroyed? Sculptures smashed and monuments taken down have filled our news feed and generated much heated public debate recently. What prompts such anger and violence? What makes some objects appear offensive and inappropriate? What kind of a threat do they pose? Objects, images, and buildings have been attacked, mutilated, and destroyed throughout history, for their specific visual contents or their very existence have been seen as going against religious bans, or upsetting common cultural values and political sensitivities.