William Pedrick

Samuel H. Kress Foundation Rome Prize
September 1, 2025–June 26, 2026
Profession
PhD Candidate, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University
Project title
Hanging Objects: Time, Space, and the Background in Greek Art and Archaeology
Project description

My project explores the development of the background in archaic and classical Greek art and the use of vertical spaces in ancient life. I focus on hanging objects, and my project is divided into two parts. Part one offers a revision of the history of perspective in Western art. I trace the invention and development of a Greek perspectival device: objects depicted suspended in the visual field which articulate a pictorial background by hanging from it. Part two contextualizes this perspectival device within ancient life: I bring together visual, literary, and archaeological evidence to argue that the hanging of objects was a cultural practice that structured and communicated information about space, time, and identity.