The Iris

About: Mary Louise Hart

I'm associate curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum and curator of the exhibition The Art of Ancient Greek Theater, as well as editor and co-author of the accompanying publication, The Art of Ancient Greek Theater. I specialize in ancient Greek art and the iconography of myth, epic, and drama, as well as its performance and reception.

Posts by Mary Louise

Posted in Behind the Scenes, J. Paul Getty Museum

In Search of Euripides’ Helen

By Mary Louise Hart | Published: September 21, 2012
Euripides Helen at the Getty Villa

For over a year I’ve had the pleasure of working as a dramaturge with Nick Salamone, the playwright of this year’s Villa outdoor theater production of Euripides’ Helen. During rehearsals this summer I got together with Nick and director Jon… More»

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Posted in Antiquities, Exhibitions and Installations, J. Paul Getty Museum, Manuscripts and Books

A Lasting War: Representing Troy in Ancient Greece and Medieval Europe

By Mary Louise Hart | Published: January 31, 2011
The Construction and Destruction of Troy, Orosius Master, Paris, 1405-6. In City of God (Cité de Dieu; original text in Latin); Saint Augustine, author; Raoul de Presles, translator. The Philip S. Collins Collection, gift of Mrs. Philip S. Collins in memory of her husband, 1945. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ms. 1945.65.1, fol. 66v

For when one sees a story illustrated, whether of Troy or something else, he sees the actions of the worthy men that lived in those times, just as though they were present.    —Richard de Fournival, Bestiare d’amours, ca. 1250 The… More»

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Posted in Antiquities, Getty Villa, J. Paul Getty Museum

Art and Performance in Classical Greece (AUDIO)

By Mary Louise Hart | Published: November 9, 2010
Fragmentary Mixing Vessel with Oedipus Discovering the Truth, Greek, made in Sicily, 330–320 B.C.; found in Syracuse. Fragmentary red-figured calyx krater attributed to the Capodarso Painter. Terracotta, 9 7/15 x 18 1/2 in. (24 x 30 cm). Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi, Syracusa, Italy, 66557. Su concessione dell'Assessorato ai Beni Culturali e dell'Identità Siciliana della Regione Siciliana - Palermo
Fragmentary Mixing Vessel with Oedipus Discovering the Truth, Greek, made in Sicily, 330–320 B.C.; found in Syracuse. Fragmentary red-figured calyx krater attributed to the Capodarso Painter. Terracotta, 9 7/15 x 18 1/2 in. (24 x 30 cm). Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi, Syracusa, Italy, 66557. Su concessione dell'Assessorato ai Beni Culturali e dell'Identità Siciliana della Regione Siciliana - Palermo

Works of art offer a tantalizing window onto the world of ancient Greek theater, providing rich clues to the stories, music, costumes, masks, and actors of ancient tragedies, satyr plays, and comedies. I hope you’ll enjoy this talk, which complements… More»

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      Prud’hon preferred to draw with powdery applications of black and white chalk on blue or gray paper. Instead of using line, he created contours through stumping and built form through gradations of light. 

      Head of a Woman: Study for “The Happy Mother," 1810, Pierre-Paul Prud"hon. J. Paul Getty Museum.


      03/07/14

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