Assignments
Monday, September 1: Introductory Class Images.
Monday, September 8: Read Stokstad, pp. 1-21. Review Web page entitled: Late Antiquity: The Imperial Image. Write your entries in your journal responding to the issues / questions raised on this web page.
Also review the Web Page entitled: Early Christian Art. Respond in your journal to the questions asked. Note that this page is linked to a page entitled: Early Christian Texts.
Monday, September 15: we will examine the crucial period of the alliance of Christianity and the Roman Empire. With the patronage of Christianity by Constantine the Great, neither Christianity nor the Roman Empire would be the same. Review the webpages entitled The Post-Constantinian Conception of Christ and the Early Christian Basilica. A major document of Early Christianity and its transformation under imperial patronage is the Nicene Creed.
Monday, September 22: we will be continuing are examination of Post-Constantinian Christian Art. We will be considering the nave mosaics of Santa Maria Maggiore. We will also be considering the interrelationship of Pagan and Christian Art.
Monday, October 6: we will begin our seminar dedicated to the mosaics of San Vitale. Review the webpage dedicated to San Vitale. Remember that a week after the completion of the seminar you are expected to turn in a 3-5 page paper dedicated to an aspect of this seminar.
Monday, October 13: we will continue our discussion of San Vitale. Review the web page again, and come prepared to ask questions. We will be focusing on the apse space with the Justinian and Theodora mosaics along with the Christ in Majesty. Consider the issue of style in the mosaics of San Vitale. Especially pay attention to the conception of space and the definition of form in the different mosaics. I want to extend our discussion of San Vitale by looking at a series of Icons from the sixth century. Review the following web-page in preparation for the beginning of our discussion of Hiberno-Saxon art: Sutton Ship Burial.
Monday, October 20: Seminar Papers due. Continuing our examination of the Hiberno-Saxon art, review the following webpages. Hiberno-Saxon Art. Chi Rho Page from the Book of Kells. One of the major monuments we will be considering is the Lindisfarne Gospels in the British Library. Examine the manuscript by following the link from the Turning the Pages site.
Monday, October 27: We will continue our discussion of the Book of Kells: Chi Rho Page. We will also begin an examination of the Carolingian Renaissance by considering the Imperial Ideal created by the Carolingians. We will examine the important relationships to Roman models. Review the page entitled The Carolingian Empire and the pages linked to this. Pay special attention to the page including an excerpt from Einhard's biography of Charlemagne. Read the primary texts included on the page entitled Carolingian Culture. Also study the page dedicated the origins of the Carolingian scripts. Review page dedicated to the Lorsch Gospels. Look at the page illustrating the Utrecht Psalter See how the drawings illustrate the Psalm texts. Also read Stokstad, pp. 101-126.
Monday, November 10: We will begin an examination of Romanesque Art. Read Stokstad, 1st ed. pp. 219-264. Focus on the discussions of Romanesque architecture. Review material on page entitled Divine Ordo. Also review the images of churches included on the pages dedicated to the First Romanesque and Romanesque Architecture. We will also be examining the so-called Pilgrimage Route churches and understanding them in the context in the idea of Pilgrimage. Review page with excerpts from the Pilgrimage Guide.
Monday, November 17: Read Stokstad, 1st edition, pp. 219-264. Review the webpage entitled: Coming Face to Face: the Romanesque Portal. Although these works focus on different subject matters, all of them have the common theme of Theophany or manifestation of divinity. These portals mark the divide between the profane space and the sacred space of the interior of the church, the earthly symbol for the Heavenly Jerusalem. Consider the Romanesque conception of Christ, and how you feel in relationship to these visions. Also review the webpage with an excerpt from St. Bernard's Apologia. Be aware that these pages are works in progress, and that I might be up-dating them in the next couple of days. Read the excerpts from Georges Duby's "The Threshold."
Monday, December 1: Gothic Architecture. Also review the page entitled Gothic Texts.
Monday, December 8: Second Seminar: The Royal Portals of Chartres. Review the webpage I have constructed for the Royal Portals. Read Stokstad, 1st edition, pp. 277-285.