International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Alicia Walker
Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawru PA, United States; 
[e-mail] 
The Didactic Power of Apolausis in Early Byzantine Mosaic Decoration
Apolausis (ἀπόλουσις; pleasure, enjoyment) was a concept actively discussed by Early Christian 
and Byzantine authors, whether they were describing their own experiences or attempting to 
control the actions and feelings of others. The viewing of works of art and architecture has been long 
identified as a means of enjoyment, and scholars of Byzantine art have noted the role of pleasure in 
the appreciation of visual and material culture. Yet, as this essay argues, art could also play a role 
in modeling for the viewer the acceptable limits of aesthetic enjoyment and sensual pleasure. In 
particular art could visualize the possibility of apolausis becoming corrupted and the undesirable 
results that such a situation produced. In this sense, art could be morally didactic, providing images 

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that offered enjoyment while simultaneously encouraging viewers to patrol the boundaries of their 
own pleasure. This paper explores apolausis with special focus on its intersection with artistic and 
architectural production and reception. I argue that personifications of Apolausis that appeared 
in early Byzantine bath and domestic mosaics manifest a range of possibilities for responding to 
physical stimulation. When restrained, apolausis takes the form of enjoyment, which engages the 
body, but remains under the control of the mind. Yet when unchecked, apolausis metastasizes into 
unmitigated pleasure, disrupting the balance between the corporeal and intellectual, and thereby 
risking foolhardy indulgence. I argue that art played a role not only in visualizing these possibilities 
but also in guiding the viewer toward self-regulation and virtuous comportment.