When is a blank wall not blank at all? This talk will show how image adjustment software can assist in the detection of now faded or whitewashed wall paintings in Armenian churches. Then the talk will focus on monuments in the Ani region (including Mren, Horomos, and Ani Cathedral), discussing the style, iconography, and date of the painted fragments. Given the compromised state and/or inaccessibility of many monuments in historic Armenia, and the often unpredictable political conditions of the region, this work can and should be undertaken immediately alongside the documentation and preservation of architecture, sculpture, and epigraphy.
