Art History 202
SURVEY OF WESTERN ART: MEDIEVAL & RENAISSANCE
Winter Quarter 2017
MTW 11:30–12:20
Anderson Hall 223
Professor Ivan Drpić ([email protected])
Office: Art Building, Room 365
Office hours: Tuesdays 2:00–4:00 and by appointment
Course website: https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1097104
Teaching Assistant: Katherine Coty ([email protected])
TA’s office: Art Building, Room 311
TA’s office hours: Mondays and Tuesdays 1:00–2:00
Sections
Section AA – Thursday, 9:30–10:20, Art Building, Room 003
Section AB – Thursday, 10:30–11:20, Art Building, Room 003
Section AC – Thursday, 12:30–1:20, Art Building, Room 003
Section AD – Thursday, 1:30–2:20, Art Building, Room 003
COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES
This course surveys the visual arts of the Western world from the advent of Christianity and the
ensuing transformation of ancient Roman culture through the period known as the Renaissance.
Focusing upon paradigmatic artworks, monuments, and sites, the course explores over one
thousand years of artistic production across Western Europe and much of the Mediterranean
Basin. We will examine a variety of artistic media and genres, from bronze statuary and
sparkling gold mosaics to portable devotional pictures, ivory carvings, and lavishly illustrated
hand-written books. We will investigate this rich and often challenging material in its original
contexts and ask how art was made, where it was displayed, and what kinds of messages it was
intended to communicate in the periods and cultures under consideration. Among the larger
issues to be addressed are craftsmanship and materiality; artistic patronage and the role of the
artist; Greco-Roman antiquity and its enduring presence in the European imagination; crosscultural exchange; the relationship between word and image; and the role of artworks as
instruments and active participants in religious rituals and devotion.
By successfully completing this course, you will gain familiarity with the visual arts of the
Western world between ca. 300 and ca. 1500. You will deepen your understanding of the values,
ideals, and attitudes that conditioned the production and reception of art in cultures very different
from our own. Beyond the historical focus of the course, you will develop the skills of visual
analysis and critical reading, master the basic concepts and vocabulary that art historians use to
describe, analyze, and interpret artworks, and achieve heightened awareness of the intersection
of art, society, and human experience at large. Finally, this course will help you develop the
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ability to express yourself and effectively communicate your ideas and arguments through
writing.
COURSE MATERIALS
The required textbook for the course is Fred S. Kleiner, Gardner’s Art through the Ages: A
Global History, 15th edition (Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2015) (hereafter GARDNER). This year
the entire textbook is available online through the course website, which both makes it possible
for us to configure a textbook tailored to this course, and saves you a significant amount of
money. The following chapters or parts of chapters will be assigned:
Chapter 8: Late Antiquity
Chapter 9: Byzantium
Chapter 11: Early Medieval Europe
Chapter 12: Romanesque Europe
Chapter 13: Gothic Europe
Chapter 14: Late Medieval Italy
Chapter 20: Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Northern Europe
Chapter 21: The Renaissance in Quattrocento Italy
Chapter 22: Renaissance and Mannerism in Cinquecento Italy
In GARDNER, you will also read the introductory chapter, What is Art History?, which will be
discussed in section. A selection of additional readings, including some exemplary works of arthistorical scholarship, has been assigned to supplement GARDNER. These readings will often be
the focus of section discussions. They are all available electronically in PDF through the course
website (under Files/ADDITIONAL READINGS).
REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
Your grade for the course will be assessed based on the following components:
Midterm Exam
Final Paper
Final Exam
Section assignments &
participation
20 %
20 %
20 %
40 %
20 % (2 short papers)
10 % (2 quizzes)
10 % (participation)
Lectures: The lectures will roughly follow the chronological order in GARDNER, but in content
they may differ from the textbook. The lectures will often include information that is not covered
in GARDNER and other assigned readings, or may offer interpretations that differ from the ones
presented in the readings. You are responsible for the content of all lectures. Your regular
attendance is therefore essential for your success in this course. Please note that all the
PowerPoints I will show in lectures will be available through the course website (under
Files/LECTURE POWERPOINTS).
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Exams: There will be a midterm and a final exam. The midterm exam is scheduled for Monday,
February 6, and will take place in class (11:30–12:20, Anderson Hall 223). The final exam is
scheduled for Wednesday, March 15, 2:30–4:20, and will take place in Anderson Hall 223.
Detailed descriptions of both exams will be provided in due course.
Study Images: For the midterm and final exams, you will be responsible for a selection of study
images of exemplary works of art and architecture. Most of these works are illustrated in
GARDNER. You will need to identify each work according to artist (if known), title, date, and
(if required) medium and location. The study images will be available electronically through the
course website (under Files/STUDY IMAGES).
Final Paper: A five-page final paper is due on Thursday, March 9, by 9:00am on Canvas. A
detailed description of this assignment will be provided in due course.
Sections: The sections will provide a forum for discussion and review of the material covered in
the course. Some sections will introduce you to basic tools of art history such as visual analysis
and iconography. Others will focus on the assigned readings. Separate sections will be devoted to
midterm and final exam reviews, to a review of medieval architecture, and to the best strategies
to improve your writing and prepare for the final paper. Two short two-page papers will be
assigned during the quarter: one will consist of a visual analysis of an artwork, while the other
will be a critical response to a scholarly article. You will be asked to produce two drafts of each
paper; the second draft should incorporate the feedback provided by your TA. In addition, two
quizzes will be given in Weeks 3 and 8. Your preparation for and active participation in all
section meetings is vital. Any absences must be discussed with your TA.
COURSE POLICIES
All course requirements must be fulfilled for a passing grade. There will be no make-up exams.
An exception will be granted only in case of a documented emergency. Papers are due as
scheduled. Late submissions will be accepted only in case of a documented emergency or by
prior agreement with your Teaching Assistant. Otherwise, a deduction of 0.5 per day late
(weekends included) will apply to the grade.
Please arrive to class on time and turn off your phone in advance. Students who display
disruptive behavior, such as speaking on the phone, or make offensive and disrespectful remarks
will be asked to leave the class.
For additional policies and procedures of UW School of Art + Art History + Design, see page 8
of the syllabus. Please also refer to the Director’s letter about academic misconduct attached at
the end of the syllabus.
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COURSE SCHEDULE*
Week One
Tuesday, Jan 3: Introduction
Wednesday, Jan 4: Christianity and the Transformation of Ancient Art I
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 8: Late Antiquity, sections from “Romans, Jews, and Christians”
to “Santa Costanza.”
In Section: Introduction to Art History & Visual Analysis
• Reading: GARDNER, Introduction: What is Art History?
Week Two
Monday, Jan 9: Christianity and the Transformation of Ancient Art II
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 8: Late Antiquity, sections from “Luxury Arts” to “Problems and
Solutions: Picturing the Spiritual World.”
Tuesday, Jan 10: Early Byzantium: The Art of the New Rome
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 9: Byzantium, sections from “Church and State United” to
“Gospel Books.”
Wednesday, Jan 11: The Icon
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 9: Byzantium, sections from “Icons” to “Iconoclasm,” from
“Ivory Carving and Painting” to “The Third Rome”; Anna Kartsonis, “The Responding Icon,” in
Heaven on Earth: Art and the Church in Byzantium, ed. Linda Safran (University Park, PA:
Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998), pp. 58–80.
*** Jan 12: Rough draft of SHORT PAPER #1 due on Canvas by 9:00am ***
In Section: Introduction to Christian Iconography
• Reading: The Gospel of Luke, chapters 1–24 (available at http://www.biblegateway.com
[any English translation is acceptable]); reread GARDNER, Chapter 8: Late Antiquity,
sections “Early Christian Saints and Their Attributes,” “Jewish Subjects in Christian
Art,” and “The Life of Jesus in Art.”
Week Three
Monday, Jan 16: MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY – No lecture
Tuesday, Jan 17: Sacred Spaces: The Byzantine Church
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 9: Byzantium, sections from “Middle Byzantine Art” to
“Monreale.”
*
All scheduled lectures and assignments are subject to change.
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Wednesday, Jan 18: Monks and Books: Insular Art
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 11: Early Medieval Europe, sections from “The Psalms of David
in Ninth-Century France” to “High Crosses.”
In Section: Experiencing Byzantine Art
• Reading: Liz James, “Senses and Sensibility in Byzantium,” Art History 27.4 (2004):
522–537.
• QUIZ #1
Week Four
Monday, Jan 23: Charlemagne, the Carolingians, and the Empire
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 11: Early Medieval Europe, sections from “Carolingian Empire”
to “Corvey.”
Tuesday, Jan 24: Ca. 1000: Ottonian Art
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 11: Early Medieval Europe, sections from “Ottonian Empire” to
“Uta Codex.”
Wednesday, Jan 25: The White Cloak of Churches: Romanesque Art I
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 12: Romanesque Europe, sections from “The Door to Salvation”
to “Vézelay.”
*** Jan 26: Final draft of SHORT PAPER #1 due on Canvas by 9:00am ***
In Section: Sacred Images and Relics in the Medieval West
• Reading: Ellert Dahl, “Heavenly Images: The Statue of Sainte-Foy of Conques and the
Signification of the Medieval ‘Cult-Image’ in the West,” Acta ad archaeologiam et
artium historiam pertinentia 7 (1978): 175–191.
Week Five
Monday, Jan 30: The White Cloak of Churches: Romanesque Art II
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 12: Romanesque Europe, sections “Holy Roman Empire” to
“Milan,” from “Italy” to “Durham.”
Tuesday, Jan 31: Metalwork, Embroidery, and Other “Minor” Arts, 1050–1200
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 12: Romanesque Europe, sections from “Codex Colbertinus” to
“Morgan Madonna,” from “Romanesque Countesses, Queens, and Nuns” to “Saint Alexander,”
from “Bury Bible” to “Embroidery and Tapestry”; Chapter 13: Gothic Europe, section “Nicholas
of Verdun.”
Wednesday, Feb 1: The Age of the Cathedrals I
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 13: Gothic Europe, sections from “‘Modern Architecture’ in the
Gothic Age” to “House of Jacques Coeur.”
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*** Feb 2: Rough draft of SHORT PAPER #2 due on Canvas by 9:00am ***
In Section: Midterm Review
Week Six
Monday, Feb 6: MIDTERM EXAM
Tuesday, Feb 7: The Age of the Cathedrals II
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 13: Gothic Europe, sections from “Opus Francigenum Outside
France” to “Chapel of Henry VII,” from “Strasbourg Cathedral” to “Heinrich and Peter Parler.”
Wednesday, Feb 8: The Late Medieval Art of Devotion
Reading: Michael Camille, “New Visions of God,” in Gothic Art: Glorious Visions (New York:
Harry N. Abrams, 1996), pp. 103–130.
In Section: Writing Workshop
Week Seven
Monday, Feb 13: Piety and Pleasure: Courtly Art
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 13: Gothic Europe, sections from “Gothic Book Production” to
“Castle of Love”; Chapter 20: Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Northern Europe, section
“Limbourg Brothers.”
Tuesday, Feb 14: Merchants and Friars: Late Medieval Italy I
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 14: Late Medieval Italy, sections from “Late Medieval or ProtoRenaissance?” to “Lamentation.”
Wednesday, Feb 15: Merchants and Friars: Late Medieval Italy II
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 14: Late Medieval Italy, sections from “Siena” to “Doge’s
Palace.”
*** Feb 16: Final draft of SHORT PAPER #2 due on Canvas by 9:00am ***
In Section: Review of Medieval Architecture
Week Eight
Monday, Feb 20: PRESIDENTS’ DAY – No lecture
Tuesday, Feb 21: The Rise of Painting in the Burgundian Netherlands
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 20: Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Northern Europe,
sections from “Rogier van der Weyden and Saint Luke” to “The Artist’s Profession in Flanders.”
Wednesday, Feb 22: Art in the North between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
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Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 20: Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Northern Europe,
sections from “Later Flemish Painters” to “Hans Memling,” from “Mary of Burgundy” to
“Engraving and Etching.”
In Section: Netherlandish Portraiture and the Problem of Interpretation
• Reading: Erwin Panofsky, “Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait,” The Burlington Magazine
for Connoisseurs 64 (1934): 117–127; Jan Baptist Bedaux, “The Reality of Symbols: The
Question of Disguised Symbolism in Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait,” Simiolus 16.1
(1986): 5–28.
• QUIZ #2
Week Nine
Monday, Feb 27: The Lure of Antiquity: Quattrocento Italy I
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 21: The Renaissance in Quattrocento Italy, sections from “The
Medici, Botticelli, and Classical Antiquity” to “Bartolommeo Colleoni.”
Tuesday, Feb 28: Perspective and Nature: Quattrocento Italy II
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 21: The Renaissance in Quattrocento Italy, sections from
“Gentile da Fabriano” to “Engraving.”
Wednesday, Mar 1: Cathedrals and Courts: Quattrocento Italy III
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 21: The Renaissance in Quattrocento Italy, sections from
“Architecture” to “Milan.”
In Section: Renaissance Art Between Theory and Practice
• Reading: Alexander Nagel, “Leonardo and Sfumato,” RES 24 (1993): 7–20.
Week Ten
Monday, Mar 6: The High Renaissance I
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 22: Renaissance and Mannerism in Cinquecento Italy, sections
from “Michelangelo in the Service of Julius II” to “Architecture and Sculpture,” from
“Michelangelo” to “Tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici.”
Tuesday, Mar 7: The High Renaissance II
Reading: GARDNER, Chapter 22: Renaissance and Mannerism in Cinquecento Italy, sections
from “Raphael” to “Galatea,” from “Sistine Chapel Ceiling” to “Palazzo Farnese.”
Wednesday, Mar 8: Conclusion: A Look Back and a Look Forward
*** Mar 9: FINAL PAPER due on Canvas by 9:00am ***
In Section: Final Exam Review
Wednesday, Mar 15: FINAL EXAM (2:30–4:20, Anderson Hall 223)
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UW SCHOOL OF ART + ART HISTORY + DESIGN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Equal opportunity: The School of Art + Art History + Design reaffirms its policy of equal
opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation,
age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran in
accordance with UW policy and applicable federal and state statutes and regulations.
Disability accommodation: If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a
disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, Schmitz, Room 448, (206) 543-8924
(V/TTY) or [email protected]. If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services
indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodation, please present the letter
to me so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for the class.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as using in your own work the creations, ideas, words,
inventions, or work of someone else without formally acknowledging them through the use of
quotation marks, footnotes, bibliography, or other reference. Please check with me or with your
TA if you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism. Instances of plagiarism will be
referred to the Vice Provost/Special Assistant to the President for Student Relations and may
lead to disciplinary action.
Incomplete grades: An incomplete is given only when you: have been in attendance and done
satisfactory work through the eighth week of the quarter; and have furnished satisfactory proof to
me that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond your
control.
Concerns about the course: Talk with me as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking
with me or are not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact the Director of
Advising and Student Services, Judith Clark, Art Building, Room 104, (206) 543-0646. If you
are not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact the Director of the School
of Art + Art History + Design, Jamie Walker, Art Building, Room 102.
Grade appeal procedure: If you are concerned that the grade you received for this class is
incorrect, contact me to discuss the matter. If the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction, make
an appointment with the Director of Academic Advising and Student Services, Judith Clark, Art
Building, Room 104, (206) 543-0646. If necessary, submit a written appeal to the Director of the
School of Art + Art History + Design who will take the matter under advisement and call a
faculty committee to review your course work and make a final determination concerning the
grade dispute.
Materials fees: All art and art history classes have materials fee that are billed on your tuition
statement. Information is available in Art Building, Room 104. If you drop a class in the first five
days of the quarter, the fee is automatically removed from the quarterly billing. If you drop after
the first five days (and before using any class materials), you must petition for a refund. The
School of Art + Art History + Design cannot process any petitions received after noon on the last
day of the quarter.
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September 28, 2016
Dear Student,
“Admission to the university carries with it the presumption that students will conduct
themselves as responsible members of the university community. As a condition of
enrollment, all students assume responsibility to observe standards of conduct that will
contribute to the pursuit of academic goals and to the welfare of the university community.
This includes practicing high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity.”
(See the Student Code of Conduct, Chapter 478-120 WAC)
Academic misconduct that includes cheating and plagiarism is unacceptable. Borrowing,
paying for, or copying the work of others and presenting it as your own dishonors your reason
for seeking a degree at UW and breaks the trust that faculty have for you as a member of this
academic community. It undermines your ability to learn and mature as an individual.
What is Cheating?
•
Copying answers from another student's test, quiz, assignment, or paper.
•
Using pre written notes, cell phones or any other method to secretly look at information
that helps you answer test questions.
•
Using a cell phone or other device to take pictures of tests and exams and send them to
another student, or text message questions and answers to another student.
•
Pay another student to do your homework.
What is Plagiarism? It’s cheating, too.
•
Buy a term paper or essay written by someone else and turn it in as your own.
•
Copy word-for-word another person's opinions or thoughts from a book, magazine,
newspaper or online article and pass them on as your own work.
•
Borrow or copy the drawings, paintings, sculptures or designs of another student or
artist and submit them as your own.
•
Paraphrase or summarize someone else's opinions or thoughts and pass them on
as your own.
A grade of zero will be given to any assignment, paper, test or quiz that is found to be the result
of plagiarism or cheating.
If you have any questions about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism please feel free to raise
the issue in class, check with your instructor during office hours, or talk with an Academic
Adviser in Art 104.
Sincerely,
Office of the Director
Box 353440
Seattle, WA 98195-3400
P: 206.685.2442
F: 206.685.1657
art.washington.edu
Jamie Walker
Director