Assignments
Monday, September 6: Read Stokstad, pp. 1-21. Review Web page entitled: Late Antiquity: The Imperial Image. Smarthistory Arch of Constantine page.
Also review the Web Page entitled: Early Christian Art. Note that this page is linked to a page entitled: Early Christian Texts. You can also review the page I wrote that is incorporated into the Smarthistory web site. At the same site, there is also a page I dedicated to the Santa Maria Antiqua Sarcophagus.
To give a context for the works we will be looking at review the following pages:
Monday, September 13: 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. Review Smarthistory page for the Junius Bassus Sarcophagus.
Monday, September 20: 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, September 27: 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 4: We will complete our San Vitale seminar. 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 11: San Vitale Papers are 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. Read Stokstad, 2nd edition, pp. 75-100 with special emphasis on pp. 89-100.
October 18: we will 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. Also read Stokstad, pp. 101-126. Consider also the webpage entitled Medieval Images of Power.
Monday, October 25: So far we have been following a chronology of the development of Medieval Art. Our focus has been primarily on the articulation of the characteristics of particular periods. This week I want to focus on a particular category of objects, those associated with Church Treasuries. This category can in turn be broken down into two sub-categories: liturgical objects and relics. Review the webpages entitled Liturgical Objects and Relics. Make sure to follow the links on these pages. Pay particular attention to the poem entitled the Dream of the Rood.
Monday, November 1: 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 8: We will continue our discussion of Romanesque Architecture and go ahead to look at the early Gothic of St. Denis. (Gothic Architecture and Gothic Texts)
Monday, November 15: 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, November 29: Second Seminar: The Royal Portals of Chartres. Review the webpage I have constructed for the Royal Portals. See also Chartres Cathedral page.Read Stokstad, 1st edition, pp. 277-285.
Monday, December 6: we will exam Gothic Architecture. Second Seminar Papers are due.
Monday, December 13: Third papers are due. We will watch the video entitled Cathedral.