La Densa Macabre (OLLI)

La danse macabre is a major artistic and allegorical theme in Western culture. Its images, which emerged in France and Germany in the late Middle Ages, represented the fatal destiny of mankind in a period marked by wars, famines, and the ravages of the Black Death. Illustrations on sermon texts, walls of churches, and cemeteries reminded the rich and the poor, the powerful and the downtrodden that they were all caught up in the same dance. The lecture will address the major themes of la danse macabre and the evolution of its representations across the centuries.