The Art of the Sacred in Byzantium and Italy: Materiality and Meaning
On campus
Autumn School on Campus
Tuesday 8 – Friday 11 September 2026
Helen Dejean
£595
Course Description
Unique to The Courtauld, this four-day course combines medieval art history with medieval art practice as a means of exploring the many fascinating aspects of late Byzantine and Italian panel painting, ca.1260 – 1380s. We begin by identifying the key iconographies from the Byzantine sphere of the Eastern Mediterranean, analysing their form, function and meaning. We then explore the intersections and interpretations of Byzantine art with central Italian painting of the mid-thirteenth to fourteenth centuries, considering how and why certain imagery was adopted and adapted to meet changing devotional and patronal contexts.
Focusing on selected examples of late medieval panel paintings in the Courtauld Collection and Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery, we unpack ‘making and meaning’ contexts through close object study, exercises and discussion. Using technical art history sources, we will also directly engage with the materials and processes used by late medieval painters to evaluate how the sensory and spiritual impact of these works may have been achieved.
An integral part of the course will be the practical sessions delivered over three consecutive afternoons and focused on the technical aspects of a key work of art as a case study. Participants will have the opportunity to try out a simplified version of the traditional panel painting process and create their own mini painting in egg tempera on a pre-prepared gesso linden-wood panel. Each stage will be demonstrated, along with individual step-by-step guidance on gilding, ‘tempering’ the pigments and application. This informal ‘workshop’ element is entirely optional, suitable for the complete beginner and assumes no previous experience. All materials are provided and included in the course fee.
Lecturer's Biography
Helen Dejean is an Associate Lecturer and PhD candidate in Byzantine art history at the Courtauld Institute, supervised by Professor Antony Eastmond. She holds two MAs from the Courtauld in Late Medieval Italian painting (2007) and Byzantine art (2023). Previously Helen studied with the Open University (BA Hons Art History 2006), St Albans College of Art and Design and Digswell Arts Trust. Helen is also an accredited lecturer with The Arts Society, art history tutor with City Lit, London and an established iconographer, with icons commissions in cathedrals and churches worldwide. As a teacher of medieval panel painting techniques, Helen has provided icon painting courses in the UK, Italy and Egyptian Sinai, as well as school workshops, community outreach and Heritage Lottery funded projects. Earlier roles include nine years in London’s Russian art auction sector and teaching fine art in adult FE.