Roman Art is the next topic for Lytham's classical group

He will be at AKS Lytham on November 22 to talk to members and visitors about the surprisingly far-reaching influence of Roman Art. Chairman Katrina Kelly said: “Dr Stewart is going to ‘let the pictures tell the story’ as he takes us on an artistic journey that highlights how art was one of the unifying features of Roman imperial culture. In some way or other virtually every part of the vast Roman Empire shared the same ‘language’ of imagery. Similar sorts of objects could be found from Hadrian’s Wall to the River Euphrates in Syria. But Roman art also had an influence far beyond thefrontiers of the Empire and its reflections can be seen right across Asia”.

Dr Stewart, who is a former Reader in Classical Art and its Heritage at The Courtauld Institute in London, is an expert in the field of ancient sculpture, and is the author of Statues in Roman

Society; Roman Art and The Social History of Roman Art. In his first visit to the largest branch of the Classical Association in Lytham St Annes, he will use fascinating and beautiful works of art to bring to light two mysterious examples of ancient Roman art: firstly, an extraordinary suit of clothes decorated with classical images from a grave in the Taklamakan Desert of South-West China; and secondly, the Buddhist sculptures of Gandhara in modern Pakistan, whose makers appear to have drawn upon Roman sculpture to invent a new kind of religious art.

The audience will discover how such examples of ‘classical’ imagery beyond the classical world can tell us lots about the globally connected world the Romans inhabited several centuries later. It starts at 7pm and visitors are more than welcome. Tickets are £5 and there'll be home made cakes, history books and the opportunity to meet the lecturer. www.lsaclassics.com