LATER MEDIEVAL ART, Art 264

Required set books: J Snyder, Medieval Art, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and Harry Abrams Inc, New York, 1989 J Beckwith, Early Medieval Art, Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque, Thames & Hudson, 1974 A Martindale, Gothic Art, Thames & Hudson, 1967

ART 264: INTRODUCTION

The course is concerned with all the arts from around the year 1000 till about 1350. But to stop there is to miss some of the most glorious architecture ever created, so we will pursue a few later buildings as well. This is, in fact, two periods: the Romanesque, and the Gothic. These periods are defined differently by just about everyone who ever studies them, so for the purposes of this course, we are taking the Romanesque as c1000 to c1140, and the Gothic as c1140 to c1350 (except in England, where it continues into the 1500s).

The syllabus is set out by class unit. We will be discussing the works listed in the syllabus, considering why they look the way they do, what artistic traditions they are based on, what innovations are being made, what the patrons are trying to say and to whom. We will, in fact, be forcing the material to speak for itself. In order to do this, you need to be able to recognize earlier artistic traditions, and to know how Classicism molded Medieval thought about the arts. Suggested Reading and study questions are provided by class unit to help you prepare for this. An important concept in Romanesque France was The Millennium. Read Revelation to find out what was expected to happen, and what prophecies had to be fulfilled first. In all, you will be manipulating quite a lot of information, evidence and ideas. Be prepared to think, and to do so vocally in class. I will call on you!

There will be five short-answer quiz and discussion days. The quizzes will be graded in class and are worth 50% of your overall course grade. The discussions will follow the quizzes. They are designed to draw threads together and help you focus on the important concepts and issues.

There will be one written assignment, due on Thurssday 9th March, and a take-home final assignment. These are worth 25% of your grade each. Watch your e-mail for the topics, which will appear no more than two weeks in advance. These assignments are designed to develop particular scholarly skills, so follow the instructions carefully. The TOPICS will focus on the overall ideas of the time. This will develop your ability to catch implications rather than directly stated facts. The emphasis on OUTLINES is important because these help you to develop your skills of logic and completion, and the use of SHORT NOTES will develop incisive thinking. Finally, the WORD-COUNT is important because it will force you to develop skills of focus and selection (if you currently tend to write too much), or to develop skills of development and reason (if you currently tend to write too little). Together, these are the skills which put you in control of your subject, which is what a college degree is all about.