The general hypothesis was developed according to three sub-objectives.
In the starting phase of the research, an investigation of the organisation of the various themes linked to the Passion was carried out. The project studied the iconographic theme of the works of mercy, which finds its greatest expression in Caravaggio’s masterpiece The Seven Works of Mercy, 1607. The analysis of the iconography of the works of mercy offered a decisive contribution to the development of an archaeology of “humanitarian visual culture”. Through this preliminary iconographic investigation, followed by a careful historical exploration, it was possible to identify the main structures of the Passion and of mercy, thus defining the necessary framework in which to recognise their persistence, survival and reformulation in the contemporary forms of humanitarian communication.
The research continued with the investigation of several forms of quotation or implicit reference to Christian iconography in contemporary representations of disasters. The work of analysis focused on several communication campaigns produced by the United Nations, Médecins sans Frontières, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, and Caritas Internationalis.
The third sub-objective of the project was to investigate the way in which humanitarian communications have been re-interpreted and criticised by contemporary artists and filmmakers.
During the course of the project, the researcher attended numerous conferences at various universities and academic institutions. The provisional results of the research were presented at numerous international conferences and workshops. After the various monitoring initiatives, the project results were presented on May 13th 2017, within a public initiative organised at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art in Paris and entitled “Passions Humanitaires/Humanitarian Passions”. The event involved the participation of leading researchers in the fields of visual studies and humanitarianism.
At the end of the 24 months of research, two articles were published in international academic journals. Two other articles are under preparation. It is also planned to publish a book about “humanitarian visual culture” with an international publisher. In addition to using different profiles on social networks, the cultural blog Il lavoro culturale was used to develop a public discourse on humanitarian policies and practices and their media representations. A dedicated website was also created for reporting and presenting works relating to the research project.
