From Virtue to Power: Explorations in Female Heroism – The Mosaics of Lilian Broca

This article examines the mosaics of the contemporary artist Lilian Broca. Broca has completed two monumental mosaic series, with another underway, on the biblical figures of: Esther, Judith, and Mary Magdelene. Through mosaic Broca explores women and their relationship to power in the ancient world. Broca notes that throughout ancient history the worth of women has been evaluated through the lense of beauty and chastity. Broca researched ancient text extensively to uncover examples of women who were atypical of this paradigm: women who spoke truth to power and transgressed the accepted boundaries. Her work illuminates the manner in which these women navigated, and even exploited the loopholes in ancient society, enabling them to exert their influence on the masculine domains of power. Broca utilizes the medium of mosaic, since traditionally, it was a medium patronized by the most wealthy and privileged of ancient society. They were the sector of society who determined which stories would be most broadly disseminated and ultimately survive. Broca’s work is postmodern employing both the concepts of temporality and axiology. For Broca, time and history are fluid. By utilizing the predominately masculine medium of mosaic to tell feminst stories she strives to resolve history’s sins of omissions and the general absence of the female perspective in ancient history. Finally, Broca notes that the media and placement of ancient monumental art has done much to elevate the stories of male heros above women. In this regard, she reflects Paul Veyne’s concept of axiology, a term which enables social historians to evaluate the fluctuating value of social trends and historic objects. Broca suggests that by inserting a female narrative into ancient monumental art forms such as mosaic the stories of ancient women will finally be accorded with the same dignity and respect as their male counter parts.