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Page 1: Survey of the Art of the Western Medieval World  · Web viewSurvey of the Art and Architecture of the Western ... developed argument that has been structured on the close analysis

Survey of the Art and Architecture of the Western Medieval World

AEAH 4804—Spring 2013T-TH, 11:00-12:20

Art Building, Room 223

Dr. Mickey AbelOffice: Art Building, Room 213

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-11:00, Wednesday 1:00-2:00Email: [email protected]

Course Description: A Survey of Medieval art and architecture.

Required Textbooks: (all books may be purchased used on-line or at the university bookstore)Marilyn Stokstad, Medieval ArtWilliam Diebold, Word and ImageMichael Camille, Gothic Art: Glorious Visions

Other reading materials will be placed either on reserve at Eagle Commons Library and can be accessed with the course number or the professor’s name—or posted on the BLACKBOARD Learn website assigned to this class.

Course Content:This survey course will cover the time period stretching between the 4th century and the end of the 14th century. Known collectively as the Middle Ages, it is a period that has been art historically sub-divided into a series of chronologically successive eras–Late Roman/Early Christian, Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque, and Gothic-- each thought to be distinguished by a set of identifiable characteristics. The sources and validity of these divisions will be critically analyzed along with the cultural, religious, and political distinctions that span the entire time frame and provide us with a second set of qualifiers –Christian, Byzantine, Islamic, Monastic, Courtly, and Secular. The parallel and cross-referencing nature of these sometimes artificial and shifting categorical divisions will be explored in order to fully comprehend the multi-dimensional and multi-faceted quality of this time period as it has been defined as an art historical era.

Course Objectives:While the medieval world will provide the subject matter, the primary goal of this class will be to foster an active critical approach to images and image making. Because our own modern world is inundated with visual imagery--most of which is absorbed passively–this critical approach is intended to expand the student’s repertoire of historical imagery while augmenting the development of visual literacy. One avenue to this goal will be the focus on the identification of the continuities left to us from the middle ages that inform our own cultural production. The underlying and overarching problem structuring this type of inquiry, however, will be the challenge to see, and thus understand, these medieval artifacts from within their own site- and

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time-specific context. Treating them as cultural documents, we will go beyond a simple chronological examination to develop a line of critical inquiry that will allow for the investigation of both production questions–particularly those emanating from the confluence of the interests of the artist, patron, and donor -- as well as reception issues, such as those surrounding audience and the dissemination of an intended message or function.

Course Structure:In order to facilitate these goals, the format of the class will be divided between introductory lectures and class discussions based on assigned readings. In addition there will be an on-going writing project designed to foster a critical understanding of the documentary value of historical artifacts–particularly those deemed to represent the “canon” as it is presented in traditional survey textbooks. This project is to be completed in three installments over the course of the semester. As an incremental assignment, the secondary goal of this project is to promote the student’s writing skills by focusing on the conveyance of a well-developed argument that has been structured on the close analysis of both written and visual sources.

Student Evaluation:Your grade is comprised of four components:

1. Exams–Three exams worth 15% each..............................................45%2. Canon Project–Three installments worth 15% each…......................45%3. Extrorordinary Participation

Out of Class ActivitiesAttendanceOffice visitsDaily ReviewsClass Discussion…......................................................10%

Student Assessment:Exams will be primarily essay format with some image identification and short answer. Initially, there will be three essays per exam. Students will be responsible for only those images found in their textbooks although many more images for comparison will be presented in lecture. These images will be available to the student on the BLACKBOARD LEARN site assigned to our class. They can also be found in Visual Arts Data Base which can be accessed through the CVAD webpage using your student EUID number and password. While this class does stress a strong visual component, the primary intent of the exams is to allow the students to demonstrate their ability to think beyond their memorization skills. The expectation is that the student will apply theoretical concepts and extrapolate from historical data garnered from the textbooks, class lectures, and what has been discussed in class in regards to an image from a particular time period or geographical area to another image/s from those same parameters. Images will be identified for the student in this portion of the exam.

Quiz portions of the exam will cover the more factual/technical side of our study—such as image identification, site locations, timelines, and vocabulary. Short homework assignments will be assigned if the in-class discussion lags. So speak up and add your comments and questions to the discussion!

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Extra-ordinary Participation requirement (10% of the final grade) can be met in a variety of ways: Extra-ordinary Credit: An “A” in this class requires EXTRA-ordinary work. Those expecting to receive an “A” will be expected, therefore, to perform more work than their peers. This work will consist of reading and commenting on scholarly articles that pertain to the weekly lectures. These articles have available on the BLACKBOARD LEARN site assigned to our class and are listed on the weekly schedule of classes. This “extra” work may not be used to substitute for regular assignments such as the Canon Project or an exam. It is called “extra-ordinary credit” because it is meant to supplement and augment the student’s regular work in this class and in so doing demonstrate his or her desire to go beyond what is required and to excel. While there are articles suggested for each week of the semester, the review of only three articles is required for an “A” in the class—preferably one per exam cycle. The deadline for turning in these assignments is April 18 th , 2013.

Other outside credit possibilities: A list of movies, lectures, exhibitions will be posted to the website for credit. These are worth 1% a piece and can be used to meet the 10% Extra-ordinary Participation requirement with a one page written review. The Deadline for these activities is April 18 th, 2013 .. ATTENDANCE will be taken by way of a sign-in sheet. This is the student’s responsibility. Bottom line--it is hard to participate if you are not in class and it is hard to justify the awarding of the10% for participation if you are not in attendance. In addition to generally contributing to the class discussion, each lecture will begin with a brief, student-led REVIEW of the previous week’s lecture. This is meant to be ten minutes or less and will be delivered by a student of my choice, so keep your class notes up to date. I suggest that you compare notes before class with a classmate, particularly if you have missed a class. During the review your classmates can contribute to the material presented and/or question an unclear point. The purpose of this exercise is to keep us all on the same page. Attendance Policy:Attendance will be taken on a regular basis. Attendance contributes to your participation grade, which is 10% of your final grade. It is not only difficult to participate if you are not in class, but difficult to make an “A” if your overall grade is lowered by 10%! Four (4) classes missed will be considered worthy for deduction of 10% from the final grade.

Reading is an on-going assignment. Your readings are meant to prepare you for discussion, therefore you should read the pages assigned before you come to class. Lectures are designed to provide the foundation for these discussion sessions, but will be substantially different from the material provided by your readings. It is therefore recommended that notes be taken on both lecture and discussion material as you will be responsible for both on the exams.

Writing: The “Canon Project” is your writing assignment for the semester. It is broken into three installments and is meant to be an on-going project that should not be left to the last minute. These assignments will be discussed in detail in class with unique instructions for each of the three installments of this semester long project. Due dates for the three installments are listed on the semester calendar.

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Cheating and Plagiarism Policy:Cheating and Plagiarism are not tolerated by the University or by the professor and will result in disciplinary action for academic misconduct. Any act of dishonesty is forbidden by the Code of Student Conduct and will be punished with a course grade of “F,” plus a letter to the Dean of the College of Visual Arts and Design and the Dean of Students, who will investigate the matter further.

Student Fee:There is a fee for all art history classes to cover the cost of the images. You have already paid this fee.

Course Risk Factor: According to University Policy, this course is classified as a Category One Course. Students in this course will not be exposed to any significant hazards and are not likely to suffer any bodily injury. Students will be informed of any potential health hazards or potential bodily injury connected with the use of any materials and/or processes and will be instructed how to proceed without danger to themselves or others.

American Disabilities Act: “The College of Visual Arts and Design is committed to full academic access for all qualified students, including those with disabilities. In keeping with this commitment and in order to facilitate equality of educational access, faculty members in the College will make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with a disability, such as appropriate adjustments to the classroom environment and the teaching, testing, or learning methodologies when doing so does not fundamentally alter the course.If you have a disability, it is your responsibility to obtain verifying information from the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) and to inform me of your need for an accommodation. Requests for accommodation must be given to me no later than the first week of classes for students registered with the ODA as of the beginning of the current semester. If you register with the ODA after the first week of classes, your accommodation requests will be considered after this deadline. Grades assigned before an accommodation is provided will not be changed. Information about how to obtain academic accommodations can be found in UNT Policy 18.1.14, at www.unt.edu/oda, and by visiting the ODA in Room 321 of the University Union. You also may call the ODA at 940.565.4323.

BUILDING EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: In case of emergency (alarm will sound), please follow the building evacuation plans posted on each floor of your building and proceed to the nearest parking lot. In case of tornado (campus sirens will sound) or other weather related threat, please go to the nearest hallway or room on your floor without exterior windows and remain their until an all clear signal is sounded. Follow the instructions of your teachers and act accordingly.

CENTER FOR STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITES: Each University of North Texas student is entitled to certain rights associated with higher education institutions. See www.unt.edu/csrr for further information.The Professor retains the right to change this syllabus with or without notice.

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Semester Schedule

Week 1, January 15th ..............................Introduction to the class:Visual AnalysisThe Roman Legacy

Week 2, January 22nd …………………….Constantine’s World: Christians and the DeadThe Basilica

Reading: Stokstad, 1-36. Extra-ordinary Credit:

Howard Cohen, Architecture and the After Life, “From Mausoleum to Martyrium,” Yale University Press, 1991, pp. 101-122;

John Onians, Bearer’s of Meaning, “Intro” pp. 3-6, 59-73. Jas Elsner, Imperial Rome and Christian Triumph, 1-26

Week 3, January 29th ............................The Central Plan BuildingReading: Stokstad, pp. 36-48 Extra-ordinary Credit:.

Robert Ousterhout, “The Temple, the Sepulcher, and the Martyrion of the Savior,” Gesta XXIX/1 (1990): 44-53.

Eugene Kleinbauer, “Antioch, Jerusalem, and Rome: The Patronage of Emperor Constantius II and Architectural Invention,” Gesta XLV/2 (2006): 325-145.

Week 4, February 5th .......................... ByzantiumReading: Stokstad, 49-77; 145-158. Extra-ordinary Credit:.

Irina Andreescu-Threadgold and Warren Threadgold, “Procopius and the Imperial Panels of S.Vitale,” The Art Bulletin LXXIX/4 (1997): 708-723;

Ruth Leader, “The David Plates Revisited: Transforming the Secular in Early Byzantium,” The Art Bulletin LXXXII/3 (2000): 407-427;

Bissera Pentcheva, “The Preformative Icon,” The Art Bulletin LXXXVIII/4 (2006): 631-655.

Week 5, February 12th ………………..Early Medieval Migration***Exam I, Tuesday February 12th ****

Week 6, February 19th ……………. ……The Anglo Saxons and the Iberian VisigothsMetal work and the Book**** Canon I, Due Tuesday February 19 th ****

Reading: Stokstad—pp. 78-106Diebold,1-148

Extra-ordinary Credit: Jerrylynn Dodds, Architecture and Ideology in Early Medieval Spain, pp. 1-26.

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Janina Safran, “Identity and Differentiation in Ninth-Century al-Andalus,”

Week 7, February 26th ........................... The Carolingians and the OttoniansMonastic Order and The Holy Roman Empire

Reading: Stokstad, 107-131, 178-196; Extra-ordinary Credit:

John Moreland, “The Carolingian Empire: Rome Reborn?” 392-418. Thomas Dale, “Monster, Corporeal Deformities, and Phantasms in the Cloister of

St- Michel-de-Cuxa,” The Art Bulletin LXXXIII/3 (2001): 402-436 Adam Cohen, “Bernward and Eve at Hildesheim,” Gesta LX/1 (2001): 19-38.

Week 8, March 5th …………………………Islam and SpainReligious Diversity and Crusading

Reading: Stokstad, 159-177; Oleg Grabar, The Formation of Islamic Art, pp. 1-18.

Extra-ordinary Credit: Nasser Rabbat, “The Meaning of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock,” Maqaruas 6

(1989): 12-21. Jerrylynn Dodds, Architecture and Ideology in Early Medieval Spain, pp. 94-109.

Week 9, Spring Break—No Classes

Week 10, March 19th ................................. The Romanesque:Pilgrimage, the Cult of Saints and The Monastery****Canon II due Thursday, March 21st****

Reading: Stokstad, 197-264Extra-ordinary Credit:

Barbara Abou-El-Haj, “The Audiences for the Medieval Cult of Saints, Gesta XXX/1 (1991): 3-15.

Edson Armi, “The Context of Cluny III Sculpture,” Gesta XXVII/1-2 (1988): 39-50.

Cynthia Hahn, “The Voices of Saints: Speaking Reliquaries,” Gesta XXXVI/1 (1997): 20-31. Linda Seidel, “Installation as Inspiration: The Passion Cycle from La Daurade,”

Gesta 83-92

Week 11, March 26th ...................................... Romanesque FranceMillennialism and The Tympanum

Reading: Meyer Schapiro, Romanesque Art, “On the Aesthetic Attitude in Romanesque Art, New York, 1947, pp. 1-27.

Extra-ordinary Credit: Conrad Rudolph, “Bernard of Clairvaux’s Apologia as a Description of Cluny and

the Controversy over Monastic Art,” Gesta XXVII/1 -2 (1988): 125-148. Dorothy Glass, “Romanesque Sculpture in Campania and Sicily: A Problem of

Method,” The Art Bulletin, pp. 315-323.

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Week 12, April 2nd …………………….Visual Literacy:Wall Painting, Glass, Ivory, and Tapestries**** EXAM II, Thursday, April 4th****

Extra-ordinary Credit: Katherine Tachau, “God’s Compass and Vana Curiositas: Scientific Study in the

Old French Bible Moralisee,” The Art Bulletin LXXX/1 (1998): 7-33 Wayne Dynes, “Art, Language, and Romanesque,” Gesta XXVIII/1 (1989): 3-10 Christopher Norton, “Bernard, Suger, and Henry I’s Crown Jewels,” Gesta

XLV/1 (2006): 1-14.

Week 13, April 9th ………………….…… Gothic Architecture****Medieval Symposium—Required Attendance and written Report, Thursday, April 11th, 6pm or Friday April 12th, 1:30 pm.****

Reading: Stokstad, pp. 265-277; 292-312..Extra-ordinary Credit:

Bonde, Boyden, and Maines, “Centrality and Community: Liturgy and Gothic Chapter Room Design at the Augustinian Abbey of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes, Soissons,” Gesta XXIX/2 (1990): 189-213

Robert Bork, “Into Thin Air: France, Germany, and the Invention of the Openwork Spire,” The Art Bulletin LXXXV/1 (2003): 25-53

Michael Davis, “Splendor and Peril: The Cathedral of Paris, 1290-1350,” The Art Bulletin LXXX/1 (1998): 34-66.

Martin Trachtenberg, “Gothic/Italian “Gothic”: Toward a Redefinition, JSAH L (1991): 22-37.

Week 14, April 16th ................................................. Gothic Sculpture****Canon III due Thursday April 18th********ALL Extra-Ordinary Credit due April 18th****

Reading: Stokstad, pp. 277-291.Extra-ordinary Credit:

Jacqueline Jung, “Beyond the Barrier: The Unifying Role of the Choir Screen in Gothic Churches,” The Art Bulletin LXXXII/4 (2000): 622-657.

Nina Rowe, “Synagoga Tumbles, a Rider Triumphs: Clerical Viewers and the Furstenportal of Bamberg Cathedral,” Gesta XLV/1 (2006): 15-42.

Week 15, April 23rd …………………………….Medieval Women Reading: Stokstad, pp. 292-303; 312-330; 331-353. Extra-ordinary Credit:

Week 16, April 30th ......................... ……………….New Ways of SeeingReading: Camille, Gothic Visions

*****Exam III, Presented April 30th—Due May 2nd

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The Canon Project

A “canon” is defined as a basic principle or standard criterion; it is authoritative and orthodox.

Art historical survey texts, such as Marilyn Stockstad’s Art History generally present a cross-section of the standard artifacts for each of the chronologic periods covered. These objects, images, or buildings comprise the art historical “canon” in that through them foundational criteria for the study of a particular period is established. Texts such as those assigned in this class--Michael Camille’s Glorious Visions or William Diebold’s Word and Image-- on the other hand, are organized around analytical questions. Rather than providing a set of canonical images the artifacts presented in these texts illustrate particular issues or problems relevant to either the contemporary producing agents or the viewing audience. In this way, these artifacts are treated as documents. They record cultural specificities that in some cases are not otherwise available to the modern historian. In other cases they confirm and support ideas derived from other sources such as literary texts or archeological data. And although these artifacts may well be aesthetically pleasing and beautiful, their historical value lies in the information they provide in terms of the culture that produced them. It is sometimes through these visual documents that we find our clearest vision of the past.

The objective for each of the three installments of this project is analyze the standard survey text—Stockstad--and propose the addition of one New object that you feel would enhance the presentation of a designated section of the book. The added image should address what you feel is a clear omission. It should either contribute to the argument presented by the author or present a different, yet relevant question or counter-point. To facilitate this search, I have put a selection of catalogue-type texts on reserve from which you can select your artifact. Your research should be confined to these texts.

Each of the three installments of this project should include three elements—not necessarily in this order.

1. A formal analysis (detailed visual description) of the artifact. We will discuss this exercise in class.

2. An analysis of the issues or questions illustrated by your chosen artifact.3. An explanation of why your artifact should be included in the textbook. How does it

contribute to our knowledge of the period. What questions does it address? How does it fit into the overall organization of the book. How would you argue to have it included?

In order to be successful in this last segment you will have to be familiar with both the issues already presented in your textbook and the way artifacts have been treated in the catalogue texts on reserve. An expedient approach to this assignment, therefore, would be to begin by thinking critically about what you feel is missing from your text. Rather than choosing an image or object and trying to make it fit the parameters of the textbook, I would encourage you to ask yourselves if there are any questions or issues that you feel should be explored, but have been omitted or overlooked in your textbook. Attempt to find an artifact from the catalogue texts that will facilitate this line of questioning.

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The underlying objective for this project is through a critical comparison of the two types of text books and the employment of the artifacts illustrated within them to bring the student to an understanding of the ways in which an artifact can be employed as a visual document. In this respect the project is not meant to be a traditional research paper. It is not necessary–nor will credit be given–for the use of sources outside of those texts I have put on reserve. This is especially true of internet sources. In order to comprehend the dimensions and parameters of the “canon” you must be aware of both its depth and its breadth. A virtual source will not allow you this type of access.

Each installment should not exceed three (3) typed, double-spaced pages. A photocopy of your artifact should be attached, as well as a reference to the catalogue text from which it was found.

Each installment of your project should be secured within a folder that will accommodate all three installments. At each due date I would expect to see the all previous installments. This is meant to be an on-going project where improvements are made in both argumentation and writing based on the comments I have made on the previous paper. This will necessitate your reading my comments and my having access to them to evaluate your progress. Points will be deducted for failure to turn in the complete folder. No late projects will be accepted!

Due dates for the Three Installments of the Canon Project

1st Installment: Tuesday, February 19th, in class2nd Installment: Thursday, March 21st, in class3rd Installment: Thursday, April 18th, in class

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I (print) acknowledge that I have read the course syllabus. I understand the course structure, grading and attendance policies as well as the risk factor rating. I hereby agree to the syllabus and its provisions.

Course number and section Risk Rating

Student phone #, e-mail address (print)

Signature Date

Faculty Name Signature Date

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