Courses

Fall Semester information

190A: Topics:Global Catholic Art

Spring Semester information

190A: Topics:Histories of Medieval Art

"Medieval art" is not one single tradition, but an umbrella term covering over a thousand years of images and objects emerging from dozens of different countries, traditions, and cultures. In this class we will study many of these histories, focusing on the Mediterranean basin during the years c.500-c.1350. We will study the expansion and interactions of the dominant religions of the Middle Ages, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and the ways that new cultural forces responded to pre-existing local traditions. Following the unification of much of Europe under the Emperor Charlemagne, we will see how fundamental cultural changes in the eleventh and twelfth centuries gave rise to radical new forms of art and communication in the Romanesque and Gothic periods. By careful study of individual objects and texts, we will examine how artistic practices relate to broader issues of patronage, politics, theology, conflict, supernatural beliefs, and the construction of personal and communal identities in the diverse worlds of the Middle Ages.