Posted on Friday, February 17, 2023
Tuscany is renowned for its grandiose architecture and majestic landscapes, but the central Italian region is also the mecca of Renaissance art.
John Lawrence, the next presenter in the 13th season of 3D Journeys, will highlight the conceptual changes in artistic expression that led to a period of rebirth during the 14th and 15th centuries in Italy.
“It was not just a group of artists that said I am going to do things differently,” he said. “It was a revolution. They don’t happen often in the history of art.”
This specific time in history gave us famous works that include Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” Michelangelo’s “Sistine Chapel” and Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna.” Lawrence will present “Tuscany: The Birth of the Italian Renaissance-A visual journey in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi, and the Tuscan painters, Giotto di Bondone of Florence, Luca Signorelli of Cortona, and Piero Della Francesca of Sansepolcro” on Monday, Feb. 27, at 10 a.m., at Callaway Auditorium.
He said Saint Francis of Assisi was included in the lecture because he influenced humanism, a characteristic feature of the early Renaissance.
“St. Francis was the first one who supposedly received the wounds of Christ,” he said. “He was an amazing man in that he humanized Christ. St. Francis was born wealthy and could have had anything he wanted, but he gave it all up.”
Lawrence, a global traveler who has made multiple visits to Italy, said Cortona is one of his favorite places.
“I fell in love with the area,” he said. “It’s a beautiful hill town. Cortona is a great place to get a feel for what Tuscany is like.”
Lawrence began working at LC in 1970, after earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Atlanta College of Art and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Tulane University. His wife, Merri ’77, is a retired designer from Miliken who currently creates photograms. He has three daughters and four grandchildren.
He said he wanted to pursue a career in art after taking some courses at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.
“Because Millsaps only had a two-year program, I had to look for an institution that focused primarily on art,” Lawrence said. “After I left the Mississippi college, I convinced my parents to let me go to art school in Atlanta, where I received a scholarship.”
When he first joined the faculty at LaGrange, he said he was part of a two-person department.
“I was teaching drawing, painting, photography, sculpture and art history,” Lawrence said. “My specialty was photography. I was an Assistant Professor, then the Callaway Professor of Art and Design and eventually Director of the Lamar Dodd Art Center.”
During his time as Director, Lawrence established one of the largest college museum collections of 20th century photography in the Southeast.
He said he would consider himself to be a documentary photographer.
“Photography is an art form,” Lawrence said. “It’s the concepts and what are you trying to say that are more important than just describing the way something looks.”
Even after retiring from the college in 2019, he has not stopped working. Lawrence continues to take on photography projects throughout the United States and the world.
“I’m always looking for new subject matter,” he said.
Images from Lawrence’s over 40 years of travel to Italy and Greece have been featured in exhibitions and book illustrations. His most recent exhibition in Siena, Italy, included photographs from sites related to St Francis of Assisi and Padre Pio of San Giovanni Rotondo. Lawrence’s current project is a portfolio of images for a book to be published this year on sites related to Irish writers.
This will be his third appearance at the 3D Journeys lecture series. Lawrence previously gave presentations on Sicily and Coastal Georgia.
“John has a gift for bringing faraway places to life,” said Ann Beason HA’14, who co-chairs the 3D leadership committee with Lauranne Buchanan. “He speaks from a deep love and respect for this part of the world. We are grateful to him for taking a break from his own creative work to share his insight with the 3D audience.”
The lecture will be available to view on the college’s YouTube channel by the Friday following the event.
Historians conference earlier this month at Valdosta State University. He was joined by Assistant Professor of History Dr. Richard Soash.
Check LC Connect for Virtual CE events and instructions
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Three-Way Conversation on the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
11:15 a.m., Multimedia Room 317, Lewis Library
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Black History Month Speaker: Earl Brown – Cultivating Inspiration and Change
12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., Corn Auditorium
Thursday, Feb. 23
A Variety of Celebration: Black History Through Music, Dance and Story
5:30 p.m., Beason Recital Hall
Why I chose LaGrange College — Kirsten Boyd
Senior Sports Management major Kirsten Boyd typifies the successful LaGrange College student, combining her love of sports and her talent for social media and graphic arts. She's accepted a position with Major League Soccer and will work out of its headquarters in New York City.
Men’s Basketball
LaGrange’s battle to become the top contender in the Collegiate Conference of the South took another hit after an 80-73 loss against Berea on Friday, Feb. 10. Sophomore Kyle Smith contributed 19 points and senior Bershard Edwards added 17 points. The Panthers attempt to deliver a win on Saturday’s Senior Day game resulted in a heartbreaking 71-70 loss against Belhaven. On Wednesday, the team battled to the end, but ultimately came up short in a last-second 69-68 loss against Covenant.
During a pre-game ceremony, seniors Bershard Edwards and Zac Hill were both honored for their contributions to the team over their five and four years, respectively.
Women’s Basketball
After back-to-back wins, the Panthers claimed a 74-59 victory against Berea on Friday, Feb. 10. Freshman Laila Battle led with 22 points and sophomore Zyhia Johnson followed behind with 18 points. LaGrange is only one of two teams to knock off the Mountaineers this season. Unfortunately, the Panthers’ winning streak was broken in a 82-67 loss to Belhaven. The defeat only made the team stronger as they fought their way to a 69-56 victory over Covenant on Wednesday.
Freshman Laila Battle recently earned her second CCS Rookie of the Week honor. She delivered an incredible week as she averaged 16 points. Battle joins sophomore Zyhia Johnson as the only other LC award winner in the league’s inaugural year. The latter claimed Player of the Week on January 9.
Men’s Lacrosse
LaGrange’s second game of the season resulted in a 20-13 loss at Hendrix on Saturday, Feb. 11. Sophomore Ryan Comeau and freshman Luke Young each put up four points during the match. The team fell to Berry in a 19-5 decision on Wednesday.
Sophomore Ryan Comeau was recently named USA South’s Offensive Player of the Week. He produced an impressive opening week as he finished with seven goals and a pair of assists for nine points to go with three groundballs over two games.
Softball
The Panthers earned an 8-6 win and a 10-2 loss in a doubleheader against Birmingham-Southern on Sunday, Feb. 12. Freshman pitcher Claire Chamberlain delivered her third complete game, allowing five earned runs and striking out six to move to 2-1. Senior Reagan Gunter anchored the top performances for the Panthers, going 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs while freshman Abby Hefner went 2-for-2 in the second game.
Beach Volleyball
LaGrange closed out their second weekend of the season with a pair of 5-0 losses to St. Andrews and Truett-McConnell on Saturday, Feb. 11. Senior Vianca Colon-Gonzalez and freshman Rhaya Harwell put up a fight against Truett-McConnell’s Jordan Roberts and Deomi Valmus before eventually falling 21-19 and 21-12.
(Please note that schedules may change due to circumstances beyond our control. Please check www.lagrangepanthers.com to confirm.)
Friday, Feb. 17 – Women’s Tennis vs. Huntingdon, 2 p.m., Greer Tennis Courts
Friday, Feb. 17 – Men’s Tennis vs. Huntingdon, 2 p.m., Greer Tennis Courts
Friday, Feb. 17 – Baseball vs. East Texas Baptist (BSC Spring Classic), 4 p.m., Birmingham, Alabama
Saturday, Feb. 18 – Women’s Tennis at Oglethorpe, 11 a.m., Atlanta, Georgia
Saturday, Feb. 18 – Men’s Tennis at Oglethorpe, 11 a.m., Atlanta, Georgia
Saturday, Feb. 18 – Softball at Emory, noon and 2 p.m., Atlanta, Georgia
Saturday, Feb. 18 – Men’s Lacrosse vs. Oglethorpe, 1 p.m., Callaway Stadium
Saturday, Feb. 18 – Baseball vs. Birmingham-Southern (BSC Spring Classic), 1 p.m., Birmingham, Alabama
Saturday, Feb. 18 – Women’s Basketball vs. Agnes Scott, 2 p.m., Mariotti Gym
Sunday, Feb. 19 – Baseball vs. Millsaps (BSC Spring Classic), 4:15 p.m., Birmingham, Alabama
Tuesday, Feb. 21 – Men’s Basketball vs. TBA (CCS Championship First Round), TBA, TBA
Wednesday, Feb. 22 – Women’s Basketball vs. TBA (CCS Championship Quarterfinal Round), TBA, TBA
Wednesday, Feb. 22 – Softball at Berry, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Rome, Georgia
Wednesday, Feb. 22 – Men’s Lacrosse vs. Birmingham-Southern, 7 p.m., Callaway Stadium
Wednesday, Feb. 22 – Baseball vs. Emory, 7 p.m., Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium
Thursday, Feb. 23 – Softball at Chattahoochee Valley, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Phenix City, Alabama
Category: Arts and Culture, Community
Keywords: Art, Education
