Campus Directory

Division Arts Division

Department/College/Unit History of Art/Visual Culture

Title Associate Professor

Affiliation Faculty

Other UCSC Campus Affiliation Classical Studies
Italian Studies

Faculty Type Regular Faculty

Areas of Expertise History of Art and Visual Culture
Classical Studies

Additional Location(s) Kresge College, Room 230

Mail Stop Porter Faculty Services

Biography, Education and Training

Licence in Mediaeval Studies, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto
Ph.D., Byzantine Studies, Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, UK
M.A., Byzantine Studies, Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, UK
Certificate in Museology and Restoration of works of art, Universitá Internazionale dell’Arte, Florence, Italy
Diploma, Art History, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
B.A., Archaeology, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

Research Interests

Maria Evangelatou’s primary research interests focus on the visual culture of Byzantium. A main theme in her study is the interrelation of visual and textual forms of expression and their use in the shaping and reproduction of main cultural and social concepts, examined through a number of case studies that touch upon one or more of the following issues: the interaction between word and image in Byzantine manuscript illumination; the influence of Orthodox and especially iconophile theology on Byzantine religious iconography; biblical typology as a key concept in Byzantine self-perception and expression; the interpretation of Marian iconography in the light of Byzantine religious literature and ritual and its use in the construction of gender; the embodiment of meaning in multi-sensorial and kinetic experiences of visual environments and the interaction between the material and the spiritual realms of cultural consciousness.



Her secondary field of study is ancient Greek visual culture. She is particularly interested in the visual use of myths for the construction of gender, social and cultural identities and the expression of political ideals. In addition she explores the influence of religious and spiritual beliefs on fundamental manifestations of ancient Greek culture, such as the development of naturalism or the popularity of family funerary stele in the late 5th and 4th centuries. Her interest in ritual, embodiment and the construction of history through myth has led her to examine the spatiotemporal dimensions of ancient monuments, such as the Great Altar of Pergamon, and to explore their possible interpretations through the sensorial and kinetic experiences of their ancient users.

Teaching Interests

All courses offered have a tri-fold goal:

- Familiarity with basic visual expressions of the cultures examined.

- Development of critical skills and understanding of the use of visual expressions in the shaping and reproduction of social and cultural identities, regardless of time or period. This goal is achieved through the examination of themes such as the construction of femininity and sexuality, the interrelation of politics and religion, the multivalence of ritual, and the interaction of the senses.

- Respect for cultural diversity and appreciation of the importance of cross-cultural interactions in the development of human civilization.



Evangelatou’s research and teaching interests in ancient Greek and Byzantine visual culture are closely linked in an amphidromous interaction. Her latest teaching interest in Islamic visual culture is fueled by the richness and pluralism of this tradition and its great influence on other cultures as well as the critical importance of knowledge and appreciation of Islamic culture in the current international political context. The relevant course examines a selection of representative creations of Islamic visual culture from the 7th c. to the present, and places special emphasis on the social role of religion in the Islamic world and the importance of the senses and their interaction in the development and experience of Islamic visual traditions.

Awards, Honors and Grants

2009-10, Post-doctoral research fellowship, Dumbarton Oaks (Harvard University), Washington DC

2006-07, Post-doctoral research fellowship, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (Harvard University), Cambridge MA

2005-06, Post-doctoral research fellowship, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto ON

2004-05, Post-doctoral research fellowship, Program in Hellenic Studies (Princeton University), Princeton NJ

2003-04, Post-doctoral research fellowship, Dumbarton Oaks (Harvard University), Washington DC