Reassessing Heroism in Medieval Art

This session seeks to interrogate the concept of heroism in medieval culture through exploration and (re)evaluation of the forms and motifs associated with the heroic in the art of the Middle Ages.

Deeply rooted in ancient and medieval literary sources and frequently enmeshed with concurrent ideas of virility, chivalry and sanctity, notions of heroism have long served as the bedrock of both popular and academic formulations of medieval culture. Moving beyond representations of heroes or renderings of heroic texts, what configurations of heroic ideals did medieval viewers encounter and how did such depictions impact their various audiences? To what extent was heroism contextually constituted, and how did visual expressions adjust to contextual requirements? How were common visual strategies such as juxtaposition, repetition or typology used in service of communicating heroic ideals, teaching lessons or imparting warnings?

Studies engaging any aspect of medieval visual or material culture are welcome. This session embraces a global Middle Ages and an expansive chronology, spanning late antiquity to early modernity. Especially encouraged are papers that consider issues of heroism in relation to gender, race and/or religion, explore aspects of the heroic beyond or as a foil to western European traditions, follow the transformations and mutations of “medieval” heroism in postmedieval artistic movements, or reflect on the impacts of medieval revivalism in shaping early scholarship on the heroic in medieval art.

Submit your Paper via this form. Please download, complete and send it directly to the Session Convenor(s) below by Sunday 2 November 2025:

Elizabeth Pugliano, University of Colorado Denver, elizabeth.pugliano@ucdenver.edu