Papers from the 2nd Annual AHGA Research Symposium by Joseph Sherren
The relationship between homosexuality and the Islamic Ottoman state is expressed as a peculiarit... more The relationship between homosexuality and the Islamic Ottoman state is expressed as a peculiarity between the Ottoman Muslim man and his religion in the male social spaces and arts, specifically the köçek boy dancers as well as literature and poetry. Men dominated many aspects of Ottoman culture, due in part to this, the primary and popular representations in record, from literature and poetry to other major arts, reflect these predominate aspects of a patriarchal culture.
To adequately characterize this, I will discuss aspects of Ottoman Islam and how it interacts with the prevailing form of sultanate government, including a generalized view of the male body and some expressions of homoeroticism in the Ottoman culture between the 1580’s and 1800. From this complex interaction, the Ottoman state and their interpretation of Islamic tradition created an environment which oscillated between the allowance of aspects of homoeroticism expressed in the cultural norm as well as repression of these actions by various religious authorities. Arts produced at this time are unique in that there were longer periods of allowance for these behaviors than previously and, therefore, the culture of homoeroticism expanded. The form of the Ottoman gender system coming out of this environment then supports various representations of homoeroticism perceived as a cultural norm through poetry and dance. These expressions originated in the courts but soon proliferated in the homosocial public sphere of leisure spots like coffeehouses in the Middle Period.
Graduate Research Papers by Joseph Sherren
This thesis analyzes the reciprocal influence between German Expressionists and American Modernis... more This thesis analyzes the reciprocal influence between German Expressionists and American Modernists who travelled to Germany in the years leading up to World War I. The United States and Germany underwent cultural upheaval after separate wars for unification ending in 1865 and 1871, respectively. Similarly, their national identities faced serious change that was heavily influenced by industrialization and urbanization between the mid-1870s and 1900. On an international level, status and identity was reliant on military might as well as industrial potential, both of which Germany demonstrated in the Franco-Prussian War (1870- 1871) and its Unification. The United States, though recovering from an intense Civil War that weakened its military, exhibited great potential and seemed on the same level as Germany at this time. At the turn of the century the visual arts of the United States and Germany faced change as artists struggled to express life in light of the major shift in social life and values initiated by societal upheaval and recovery. This struggle manifested in a variety of distinctive styles and avant-garde groups including the New York Modernists and independent artists in the United States as well as the Secessionist Movements and Expressionist circles of Germany; these groups sought to express the distinctive spirit of living in the modern industrialized world. This paper focuses on three American artists: Oscar Bluemner, Marsden Hartley, and Albert Bloch. They travelled to Germany between 1908 and the early 1920s and experienced both countries’ struggles to establish a new cultural identity. In response to the identity struggle in both countries, their styles shifted from the academicism of their earliest instruction in the schools and academies of the United States to styles reflecting specific developments from their time in Germany where they exhibited with the German avant-garde. This noticeable shift suggests a more direct influence on these American artists by the German avant-garde than most scholars generally recognize and explains why they have often been left unexplored altogether.
The social and cultural similarities of the United States and Germany are established first, demonstrating the open lines of communication between the two countries and basing the artists’ experiences on the premise of shared socio-cultural experiences between the United States and Germany. Then a brief analysis of the development of modern art at the turn of the century follows, to further contextualize the environment in which Bluemner, Hartley, and Bloch worked. These sections, combined with personal recollections and letters from the artists that express their perception of Germany and their varying degrees of involvement in the German avant-garde, provide the foundational material for an analysis of the major shift in styles. It is evident that German Expressionist movements clearly influenced their stylistic and aesthetic development based in shared experiences of modernity between the Germans and Americans.
Drafts by Joseph Sherren
This paper examines some of the circumstances and the connections of an American artist from Bost... more This paper examines some of the circumstances and the connections of an American artist from Boston, Massachusetts named Lilla Cabot Perry. She was a staple in the social and artistic community in the late-nineteenth century. Through her connections to prominent artists and figures in the community, at a time when globalization was becoming a major feature, she was afforded the opportunity to travel to Japan. One man in particular, Ernest Fenollosa, a friend of her husband, proved significant. I argue he introduced her to and cultivated the relationship between herself and Okakura Kakuzō, a figurehead in the Japanese art aesthetic concern and director of the Nippon Bijutsu-In, a nationalist art academy in Tokyo which accepted Perry as an honorary member.
I discuss some of the contextual connections between Perry and Kakuzō leading to her induction into the Nippon Bijutsu-In. Not only could this further some of the seldom described exchange of East/West discourse, but I do so to present a large gap in the historiography of Lilla Cabot Perry.
Three significant institutions in Philadelphia took on the role of cultural educators: The histor... more Three significant institutions in Philadelphia took on the role of cultural educators: The historical Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Barnes Foundation in nearby Merion. Each catered to a different demographic, each had their successes and even had their failures. The educational framework of the Barnes Foundation is a little different- it became the backbone of museum education today.
When the Foundation was established and chartered, it was considered avant-garde and became a significant source of conflict for the cultural elite in Philadelphia. From its highly inflammatory and contentious founder to its curriculum, the conservative cultural elite of Philadelphia saw it as an affront to tradition. From this, various maneuverings—political, educational, and institutional—would contribute to breaking the Trust of the Foundation and serve to homogenize the cultural institutions of Philadelphia nearly 80 years after the founding of the Barnes.
Local monuments were rising in prominence in the wake of the most devastating global conflict to ... more Local monuments were rising in prominence in the wake of the most devastating global conflict to date: The First World War, or "The Great War." The District of Columbia War Memorial is a single example of many that fit a distinctive decorative program and commemorative use. It was placed at a site befitting its purpose of commemoration on the local level in Washington, DC; however, the site, one chosen from many, was rising towards prominence in the 1920’s and would become the symbolic center of the country as the National Mall with its myriad war and state memorials. In this way, the DC War Memorial predates and belies its significant location: it is a local monument on the National Mall dedicated to only 499 men and women who died from the District. Additionally, it is a monument to World War I where there are few in the capital. Seventy years after the dedication of the memorial, issues over statehood came to light as it belongs solely to the District, which, yet, does not have full legislative representation in our national government. Legislators in the early 2000’s pushed to have the monument refurbished to better fit with the memorial landscape that grew around it, dredging up issues of statehood for the District and demonstrating the significance the memorial attains during its lifetime.
This paper will examine memorials in the wake of World War I, introduce the District’s war memorial and also briefly compare some of the other prominent examples of war memorials that commemorate the Great War. It will then discuss the attempt to rededicate the memorial in the early 2000’s. This includes the social and political battle that ensued and what the memorial means today surrounded by predominately national memorials.
Macella are a distinct form of architecture that came about as the informal market districts slow... more Macella are a distinct form of architecture that came about as the informal market districts slowly developed in tandem and fused together. They appeared in Rome between 209 and 179 BCE as a result of the decimation wrought by the Gauls, which, serendipitously, helped to consolidate dispersed market systems in the city at this period. Typically, these spaces were not sites to display conquest, political agenda, or the opulence of the state. Rather, they were sparsely decorated or very simply and plainly finished. Few formal marketplace structures and macella, in particular, were constructed under sanction of the Senate or Emperor during the era of Imperial Rome. Two notable exceptions are the Macellum Magnum and the Mercati Traienei constructed under the reigns of Nero (r. 54- 68 CE) and Trajan (r. 98- 117 CE), respectively.
Both Nero and Trajan occupy the extremes of popularity for Romans, yet they both construct a very conspicuous architectural feature in the topographical landscape. Through an assessment of the greater historical context of both emperors, each of their respective building programs, and an investigation into the attitude of the upper classes regarding those who utilized these spaces, I attempt to uncover and postulate on an underlying motivation for the construction of these spaces in light of neither a political nor a truly propagandistic function.
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Papers from the 2nd Annual AHGA Research Symposium by Joseph Sherren
To adequately characterize this, I will discuss aspects of Ottoman Islam and how it interacts with the prevailing form of sultanate government, including a generalized view of the male body and some expressions of homoeroticism in the Ottoman culture between the 1580’s and 1800. From this complex interaction, the Ottoman state and their interpretation of Islamic tradition created an environment which oscillated between the allowance of aspects of homoeroticism expressed in the cultural norm as well as repression of these actions by various religious authorities. Arts produced at this time are unique in that there were longer periods of allowance for these behaviors than previously and, therefore, the culture of homoeroticism expanded. The form of the Ottoman gender system coming out of this environment then supports various representations of homoeroticism perceived as a cultural norm through poetry and dance. These expressions originated in the courts but soon proliferated in the homosocial public sphere of leisure spots like coffeehouses in the Middle Period.
Graduate Research Papers by Joseph Sherren
The social and cultural similarities of the United States and Germany are established first, demonstrating the open lines of communication between the two countries and basing the artists’ experiences on the premise of shared socio-cultural experiences between the United States and Germany. Then a brief analysis of the development of modern art at the turn of the century follows, to further contextualize the environment in which Bluemner, Hartley, and Bloch worked. These sections, combined with personal recollections and letters from the artists that express their perception of Germany and their varying degrees of involvement in the German avant-garde, provide the foundational material for an analysis of the major shift in styles. It is evident that German Expressionist movements clearly influenced their stylistic and aesthetic development based in shared experiences of modernity between the Germans and Americans.
Drafts by Joseph Sherren
I discuss some of the contextual connections between Perry and Kakuzō leading to her induction into the Nippon Bijutsu-In. Not only could this further some of the seldom described exchange of East/West discourse, but I do so to present a large gap in the historiography of Lilla Cabot Perry.
When the Foundation was established and chartered, it was considered avant-garde and became a significant source of conflict for the cultural elite in Philadelphia. From its highly inflammatory and contentious founder to its curriculum, the conservative cultural elite of Philadelphia saw it as an affront to tradition. From this, various maneuverings—political, educational, and institutional—would contribute to breaking the Trust of the Foundation and serve to homogenize the cultural institutions of Philadelphia nearly 80 years after the founding of the Barnes.
This paper will examine memorials in the wake of World War I, introduce the District’s war memorial and also briefly compare some of the other prominent examples of war memorials that commemorate the Great War. It will then discuss the attempt to rededicate the memorial in the early 2000’s. This includes the social and political battle that ensued and what the memorial means today surrounded by predominately national memorials.
Both Nero and Trajan occupy the extremes of popularity for Romans, yet they both construct a very conspicuous architectural feature in the topographical landscape. Through an assessment of the greater historical context of both emperors, each of their respective building programs, and an investigation into the attitude of the upper classes regarding those who utilized these spaces, I attempt to uncover and postulate on an underlying motivation for the construction of these spaces in light of neither a political nor a truly propagandistic function.