Graecomania

Hardly any other 19th century political movement aroused such a fervid response from artists and publicists as Philhellenism, which came to full fruition in the course of the Greek struggle for liberation. The combination of classicistic and romantic ideals with political, esthetic, and religious motifs gave this movement a unique dynamism whose influence on art and culture can hardly be overestimated. This volume assembles the papers presented at an interdisciplinary symposium organized at the Villa Vigoni in 2006. They investigate the role of Philhellenism in the esthetic and cultural evolution of the modern image of Europe. The volume is the first in a series titled "Classicistic and Romantic Visions of Art."