Vice and Virtue from the Syracuse University

Images of Vice and Virtue from the Syracuse University Art Collection
January 26 – May 25, 2008

Everson Museum of Art
401 Harrison Street
Syracuse, New York 13202
Tel (315) 474 6064
Fax (315) 474 6943
Images of Vice and Virtue investigates how artists from different cultures and time periods visualized fundamental themes of good and evil. Early civilizations enacted codes of conduct believing that individual behavior benefited from these guidelines. The ancient Greeks developed a set of inspirational values that included prudence, justice, courage and temperance. Later, Christianity refined and enlarged these to the seven holy virtues against which were set seven deadly sins. Additionally, bible stories illustrated what would happen to individuals who either followed or violated church doctrine.

Western society’s growing secularization from the late 18th century onward gave artists greater freedom in interpreting biblical subjects and themes. Artists like Picasso strongly criticized the Spanish government in a pair of prints that depicted the ruler Francisco Franco as a biological polyp. Andy Warhol showed his support for the civil rights movement in a 1964 print of the Birmingham race riot. These examples further indicated the artist’s growing role as an individual commenting on good and evil.

Also included in the exhibition are several pieces by non-western cultures. Like their western counterparts, these pieces were inspired and informed by their culture’s historical beliefs about good and evil and were often drawn from stories used to explain those beliefs. All of the objects in the exhibition have been drawn from Syracuse University’s encyclopedic collection of over 45,000 objects.

Images of Vice and Virtue is curated by David Prince, Associate Director of Syracuse University Art Collection.