Maria Kolpakova
Thesis: Manifestations of Eastern Christianity in Medieval Genoese Art
Supervisor: Dr Louise Bourdua
Area of Research: My research focuses on the role of Eastern Christianity in the medieval culture of Genoa and the formation of Genoese political and cultural identity in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In practice, I investigate several examples of Byzantine and Armenian artistic work and their urban and cultural significance in the context of medieval Genoa.
Background: My BA and MA at the University of Moscow have prepared me to conduct an original research. I studied various subjects including medieval and Byzantine art history, European history of the Middle Ages, philosophy, aesthetics, several modern and ancient languages. Since September 2015 I am a PhD student at the University of Warwick and since October 2016 my research is funded by the Chancellor's International Scholarship.