Live and Online Lecture: Purity, Temptation and Sin by Dr Richard Stemp

 Inspired by the Sin exhibition at the National Gallery, we will consider the histories of the main four female figures in art; Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalen, Eve and Venus. We will discover what formed the characters that are familiar to us today and look at their perceived levels of purity, temptation, sin and repentance. We will ask what counts as a sin, and how do we repent? Are you more likely to connect Tracey Emin with Judas or the Virgin’s parents? After all, it turns out she is not as outrageous as Bronzino… What connects Ron Mueck to Hieronymous Bosch? Or the Master of St Giles with Andy Warhol? This fascinating exhibition explores works of art in ways you might never have considered - this lecture will try and answer some of the questions it poses.