Metropolitan/Provincial: Shifting Paradigms in the Study of Byzantine Art and Architecture (Session 308)
The binary of metropolitan/provincial dominated much of the historical discourse on Byzantine art in the twentieth century. According to this model, Constantinople, both an originator and a broker of styles and innovation, occupied a dominant position in the artistic production throughout the Empire. Thus the study of art created in the provinces was often framed by stylistic and iconographic comparisons with (real or imagined) Constantinopolitan models. Although recent research has deconstructed its most dubious claims, this methodological paradigm continues to stand. Through three case studies, this session aims to offer new and nuanced approaches to this topic.