Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


csu1305075738.pdf (19.27 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Leprous Christ and the Christ-like Leper: The Leprous Body as an Intermediary to the Body of Christ in Late Medieval Art and Society

Ogden, Jenna Noelle
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1305075738

Abstract Details

2011, Master of Arts in History, Cleveland State University, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
I will argue that the leprous body was an intermediary to the body of Christ in the minds of late medieval viewers. They could utilize this accessible body as a tool to cultivate a closer relationship with Christ. I will explore imagery of Christ and lepers created in England, Flanders, France, Germany, and Italy from 1300 through 1500 to demonstrate my argument. I will compare representations of the Flagellation of Christ and Christ as the Man of Sorrows to images of Christ healing lepers in order to show that the leprous body could be understood as a substitute for the body of the Crucified. The visual similarities of spots on the skin and bent fragmented bodies establish the conflation of these two body types. I argue that the leprous body was like the stigmaticized body because both used physical pain to facilitate a closer relationship with Christ. An analysis of images of the Stigmatization of Saint Francis and those of lepers will show that late medieval viewers could imagine reenacting the Crucifixion themselves to gain access to the body of Christ. In addition, I will analyze imagery of the Raising of Lazarus, the Deposition of Christ, and the Pieta in order to argue that late medieval viewers could reenact the Pieta with the leprous body as well to cultivate an intimate relationship with Christ based on compassion. As a result, I will demonstrate that lepers were essential members of the late medieval community as opposed to outcasts because they offered a body onto which late medieval people could project their empathy for the Crucified on a daily basis.
Marian Bleeke, PhD (Committee Chair)
Kathy Curnow, PhD (Committee Member)
Stella Singer, PhD (Committee Member)
Laura Wertheimer, PhD (Committee Member)
163 p.
Art Criticism; Art History; European History; European Studies; Fine Arts; History; Medieval History; Medieval Literature; Middle Ages; Religious History; Spirituality
leper; leprosy; Christ; Saint Francis; Virgin Mary; compassion; Man of Sorrows; stigmata; wounds; Crucifixion; flagellation; stigmatization; deposition of Christ; Pieta; blood

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ogden, J. N. (2011). The Leprous Christ and the Christ-like Leper: The Leprous Body as an Intermediary to the Body of Christ in Late Medieval Art and Society [Master's thesis, Cleveland State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1305075738

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ogden, Jenna. The Leprous Christ and the Christ-like Leper: The Leprous Body as an Intermediary to the Body of Christ in Late Medieval Art and Society. 2011. Cleveland State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1305075738.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ogden, Jenna. "The Leprous Christ and the Christ-like Leper: The Leprous Body as an Intermediary to the Body of Christ in Late Medieval Art and Society." Master's thesis, Cleveland State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1305075738

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

csu1305075738
723
© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Cleveland State University and OhioLINK.