Shape and Meaning: The German Contribution to the Visual Arts - Five educational lectures by Mariano Akerman


The Bible and the Visual Arts - Khatoon-e-Fatima School, Islamabad, 10 December 2010 Enlarge image The Bible and the Visual Arts - Khatoon-e-Fatima School, Islamabad, 10 December 2010 (© Akerman) "Shape and Meaning" is the title of a series of art-appreciation lectures given by multiple-awarded historian Mariano Akerman to 1,500 students in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The German contribution to the visual arts is the theme explored in this educational cycle where each lecture is different from the previous one. While one of the conferences is devoted to the evolution of German art throughout the ages, Looking at Pictures and Learning from Art - Islamabad College for Girls, 23 November 2010 Enlarge image Looking at Pictures and Learning from Art - Islamabad College for Girls, 23 November 2010 (© Akerman) others present German imagery inspired by the Bible. There are also lectures on modern art and even one introducing the audience to the grotesque component that characterizes some significant German artworks.

The lectures are given in English (being simultaneously translated into the Urdu language) and sponsored by the German Embassy Islamabad.

Mariano Akerman - Painter and Art Historian

Born in Buenos Aires in 1963, Mariano Akerman studied at the School of Architecture of Universidad de Belgrano (Argentina), completing his formation with a prized graduation project on the limits and space in modern architecture (1987). Abroad from 1991 onwards, he has researched the paintings of Francis Bacon and the architectural projects of Louis Kahn.
In Asia, Akerman developed the educational series of conferences In the Spirit of Linnaeus (2007), Discovering Belgian Art and Raisons d’être: Art, Freedom and Modernity (2008-10) and German Art (2010). Specializing in visual communication, Akerman is an experienced educator. He lectures on modern art at renowned institutions such as the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, The National Museum of the Philippines in Manila, The University of Modern Languages in Islamabad, The National College of Arts and Beaconhouse University in Lahore.
An artist himself, Mariano Akerman exhibits his paintings, drawings and collages since 1979 onwards. He has been awarded with at least twelve major international prizes. Artwork featured in various collections, including those of the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, in Paris, and the Statenkonstråd (National Public Art Council of Sweden), in Stockholm.