By Shane Mead | Reporter
Christopher Wood, a lecturer in Art History, gave a lecture on ancient Etruscan art on Thursday, Sept. 19 at the Mayborn Museum.
In Wood’s lecture, he presented many artworks dealing with the afterlife. There is little known about the Etruscan civilization. The majority of their art is found in tombs because of their views on the afterlife and the tombs’ ability to preserve the art, Wood said.
Wood said analyzing the art of an unknown civilization like the Etruscans can give a better idea of what their life may have been like.
“Any learning that you have about ancient art like that does tell about the people,” attendee Jan Presley said.
Wood illustrated this through an example of the clothes the subject of an art piece was wearing. The subject was wearing cloth, which Wood explained indicates the Etruscans must have been trading with the Greeks and Phoenicians.
“I’m trying to just educate people on some of the cultural traditions of the ancient world,” he said. “I think people really find some commonalities and they can identify a lot with these cultures.”
Wood also gives these lectures to spread awareness on unknown subjects like the Etruscans in the hope of preserving their art.
“I wasn’t sure where the Etruscans were,” said Presley. “You’ve heard about them, but they’re not exactly anything you read about all the time.”
He concluded his lecture by giving audience members the opportunity to ask questions about things that piqued their interest.
“I think by doing these lectures and these talks you interact with people more and they can ask those specific questions,” he said. “That’s what I’m there for — getting people excited about the ancient world and that’s going to create funding for the preservation of those sites.”
Wood emphasized the importance of preservation because of the scarcity of Etruscan art, as access to ancient Etruscan artifacts is limited.
“It describes another form of life, as far as how people lived in other areas of the world,” said Petra Ashleman, another attendee. “It isn’t just all about us, how we are living right now. It’s about how other people also lived, and many things we do now come from what they went through.”
Wood said he hopes this is the first of many different types of lectures he gives at the Mayborn Museum, and implores students to attend.
