This course surveys the art and architecture of the Mediterranean world from the rise of Christianity within the Roman Empire in the 2nd and 3rd centuries to the fall of the Byzantine empire to the Turks in 1453. It is an exciting period which sees the formation of a distinctly Christian art and architecture drawing upon the religious traditions of Judaism and pagan Rome on one hand, and that of imperial rulership on the other. The most significant innovations of the period are the invention of the parchment codex-the ancestor of the modern book-the creation of vast domed spaces for worship on an unprecedented scale, and the innovation of a distinctive portrait form still prevalent in the religious culture of Russia and much of Europe: the icon. We will focus first on the city of Rome (between second and fourth centuries) and then on the Byzantine or East Roman Empire centered at Constantinople. Amongst the high points of the course are the catacombs of Rome, the mosaics of Ravenna, the architecture of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the mosaics and Pala d'Oro of Saint Mark's in Venice. Particular emphasis will be placed on the theory and function of icons or holy images, the use of art to project imperial ideology, the relationship between written texts and pictorial narrative, the relationship between art/architecture and ritual, and the appropriation of Byzantine forms and iconography for ideological purposes outside the empire-especially in Italy and the Russia.
Like the art of other cultures, Early Christian and Byzantine art constitute a pictorial language or "iconography" designed to convey their society's essential beliefs-religious, social and political. The primary aim of this course is to help you comprehend that language, to understand its changing forms and functions and the power that it exercised upon the beholder at the time it was created. Exams will test you not only on your ability to identify works of art and architecture but also to analyze them in terms of their meaning and appropriate functional contexts. Assignments are formulated to reinforce the tools of iconographical analysis introduced in class and to help you read more critically.
The required texts will provide you with useful background and sources of illustrations for the images discussed in class. In order to succeed in this course, you must attend lectures regularly and take detailed notes: you cannot rely upon web-sites and textbooks because I will present the material in ways that depart from the standard texts.
The final grade will be based on participation (10%), a midterm (25%), a final exam (25%) and two written assignments (40%). Those students who are interested in substituting a single, longer research paper for the two shorter assignments should consult the instructor at the beginning of the semester. The quizzes, which will last no more than ten minutes, are designed primarily to help you acquire a strong visual knowledge of the material in the course. You will be required to identify each work of art in terms of subject matter (or name of a building), location (place of origin), date, patron/commissioner, and medium. You should also be able to jot down a few points pertaining to the meaning and function of the work. The midterm will take up an entire class period and will cover all of the lectures up to and including the week before the midterm date. In addition to short answer identifications, you will be asked to compare and contrast works of architecture, and two write brief essays relating to themes of lectures and the content of assigned readings. Exam make-ups. You must take exams at the time specified on the syllabus. A postponement of the exam will be granted only in the case of serious illness or the death of a member of your immediate family (I will contact the Dean's office for verification). Under no circumstances will you be allowed to take an exam before the specified time.
Required Texts (available for purchase at the University Book Store, State Street)
Recommended Texts (available for purchase at University Book Store)
For historical and intellectual background to the period covered in the course, you may also wish to read Cyril Mango, Byzantium. The Empire of New Rome (New York, 1980); Judith Herrin, The Formation of Christendom (Princeton, 1987); Peter Brown, The Rise of Western Christendom, Oxford/Cambridge MA, 1996; Peter Brown, The World of Late Antiquity (London, 1989).
Illustrations
This web-site will facilitate your study of the visual examples discussed in class and to provide a core of images that you will be responsible for in examinations. You will also find all the essential images in the required textbooks and readings listed under each lecture topic.
Readings
Readings provide essential background to the lectures and points of departure for discussion. You will also be expected to draw upon the content of the readings to answer essay questions in your exams. Those readings not in the required texts are available on reserve at the Kohler Art Library Reserve Desk. Most of the readings are selections from larger books on reserve. If you need to make a photocopy, please take care not to damage the book. Other book chapters and articles from periodicals, marked * on the reading list, are photocopied in the course Reader to be purchased at the beginning of term from Bob's Copy Shop in the University Square Mall.