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Assignments |
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Examinations |
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Holidays |
Calendar of Lectures & Assignments
(with links to review images)
* = Course Reader
I. Why
Images? The "Clash of the Gods" between the 1st and 3rd Centuries
[Back to Calendar]
| 1/18 |
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Images |
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| 1/23 |
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| Reading |
Lowden, 11-32 |
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Davis-Weyer, Early Medieval Art, 3-7 |
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André Grabar, "The First Steps,"
Christian Iconography: A Study of its Origins (Princeton, 1968;
rpt.1980f), 7-30 |
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Krautheimer/Čurčić,
Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture, 23-37 |
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| Discussion |
Why are figural images problematic for Judaism
and Christianity? Why did Christianity abandon its initial opposition to
images? What common features are displayed in the figural decoration of
the synagogue, Christian baptistery and pagan temple of Mithras at Dura
Europos? What explains the emergence of extensive narrative cycles in the
synagogue? |
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II. The Emperor Constantine and the
Conversion of Rome in the 4th and 5th Century [Back
to Calendar]
| 1/25 |
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Images |
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| 1/30 |
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| Reading |
Lowden, 32-60 |
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Davis-Weyer, Early Medieval Art, 11-15 |
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Grabar, "The Assimilation of Contemporary
Imagery," in Christian Iconography, 31-54 |
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Krautheimer/Čurčić,
Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture, 39-67; 167-74 |
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Mathews, Clash of the Gods, 3-22; 23-53; 92-114 |
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| Discussion |
Why is Constantine such a crucial figure in the
history of Christianity and medieval European art? How do the architecture
and art of Rome in this period suggest imperial inspiration? To what
extent are such adaptations ideological in nature? How does Mathews call
into question the traditional concept of Early Christian art as formulated
by Krautheimer and Grabar? |
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III. Art, Architecture and Civic
Ritual in Constantinople, the "New Rome [Back
to Calendar]
| 2/1 |
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Images |
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| Reading |
*R. Krautheimer, Three Christian Capitals
(Berkeley, 1983), 41-67 |
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*Sarah Bassett, "The Antiquities in the
Hippodrome of Constantinople," Dumbarton Oaks Papers v. 45 (1991),
87-96. |
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| Discussion |
What are the principal monuments and spaces
in Constantine's new capital city? How does Constantinople resemble
other late antique cities? How do the ritual and planning of
Constantinople reinforce the identification of the city with its patron
and his new religious convictions? What are the functions of spolia in
the hippodrome, according to Bassett? |
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IV. The Glorification of the Word:
Book Illustration in the 5th and 6th Centuries [Back
to Calendar]
| 2/6 |
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Images |
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| 2/8 |
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| Reading |
Lowden, 84-96 |
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*Kurt Weitzmann, "Narration in Early
Christendom," American Journal of Archaeology 61 (1957):83-91. |
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*Katrin Kogman-Appel, "Bible Illustration
and the Jewish Tradition," Imaging the Early Medieval Bible, ed. John
Williams (State Park PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999),
63-96. |
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| Additional illustrations |
K. Weitzmann, Late Antique and Early Christian
Book Illumination (New York, 1977). |
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| Discussion |
What, according to Weitzmann, is the
significance of the shift from roll to codex in the early centuries of the
common era? What does he see as the changing relationship between text and
image? What conventions of pictorial narrative does Weitzmann single out as
clues to a lost archetype? What aspects of Weitzmann's theory are
challenged by Lowden? How does he see the relationship between monumental
images and manuscript illumination in a different way? To what extent does
Early Christian book illustration draw upon Jewish tradition? What are the
traditional explanations of Jewish influence and how does Kogman-Appel
suggest a new interpretive model? |
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V. Baptism, Burial and the
Afterlife: The Architecture and Mosaics of Ravenna from Galla Placidia to
Theodoric [Back
to Calendar]
| 2/13 |
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Images |
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| 2/15 |
***QUIZ 1 (Topics I-IV inclusive)*** |
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| Reading |
Lowden, 103-116 |
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Davis-Weyer, Early Medieval Art, 49-53 |
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*Annabel Wharton, "Ritual and
Reconstructed Meaning: The Neonian Baptistery in Ravenna," Art
Bulletin 69 (1987), 358-75 |
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| Discussion |
How do the architecture and mosaics of
Ravenna reinforce the rituals of baptism and burial? What are the
principles that determine the layout of the pictorial programs of the
mosaics? How does Wharton find meaning in the specific arrangement of
themes in the Orthodox Baptistery? How does Matthews call into question
previous interpretations of processional images in the Ravenna mosaics
in terms of imperial ritual? (Compare his approach to that of Wharton). |
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VI.
Art, Architecture and Imperial Ritual in Constantinople during the Reign of
Justinian
[Back to Calendar]
| 2/20 |
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Images |
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| 2/22 |
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| Reading |
C. Mango, The Art of the
Byzantine Empire, 312-1453. rpt. Toronto, 1986, 72-102 |
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Krautheimer/Čurčić,
Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture, 205-37 |
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| Discussion |
Paul the Silentiary and Procopius
have both left (poetic) literary descriptions or "ekphrases"
of Hagia Sophia. How do their accounts relate to the actual building?
What do they each emphasize? How is the architecture of Hagia Sophia
revolutionary in terms of its planning and spatial organization? How,
according to Krautheimer, does the building serve the ritual of the
Byzantine church as well as the imperial entourage? |
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VII.
Justinianic Art in Ravenna: Ritual and Politics [Back to
Calendar]
| 2/27 |
***Assignment 1 Due (Annotated
Bibliography & Outline of Research Paper)*** |
Images |
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| Reading |
Lowden, 116-144 |
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Mathews, The Clash of the Gods , 142-176 |
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*C. Barber, "The imperial panels at San
Vitale: a reconsideration," Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies 14
(1990), 19-42 |
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*I. Andreescu-Treadgold and Warren Treadgold,
"Procopius and the Imperial Panels of S. Vitale," Art Bulletin
LXXIX (1997), 708-723 |
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| Discussion |
How does the architecture of San Vitale
relate to that of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople? What discrepancies in
the planning may be attributed to the different liturgical usage in
Ravenna? The mosaics of Justinian and Theodora are often viewed as
deliberate statements of imperial authority imposed upon the local
population in support of Archbishop Maximian (cf. Lowden) and further that
the apse mosaic represents a kind of parallel to imperial images of
subjects making offerings to the emperor. How does Charles Barber use
gender theory read the Theodora panel in a new way? How do
Andressecu-Treadgold and Treadgold critique previous interpretations of
the imperial panels? How do they use archaeological/technical analysis
together with texts to support a new identification of figures in the
Justinian panel? What crucial changes do they note in the mosaic? Is their
argument convincing? |
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VIII. Seeing is believing: The
"Loca Sancta" and the Arts of Pilgrimage [Back
to Calendar]
| 3/1 |
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Images |
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| 3/6 |
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| 3/8 |
***MIDTERM EXAMINATION (LECTURES I-VI)*** |
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| Reading |
Jas Elsner, Art and the Roman Viewer: The
Transformation of Art from the Pagan World to Christianity (Cambridge,
1995), 97-123 |
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*Gary Vikan, "Byzantine Pilgrims' Art,"
in Linda Safran, ed. Heaven on Earth. Art and the Church in Byzantium
(University Park PA, 1998), 229-263 |
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| Discussion |
How does art shape the experience of the
Byzantine pilgrim in different ways? How, according to Elsner, do the
mosaics of Sinai (their iconography, placement and style) constitute a
form of visual pilgrimage that reinforces the symbolic value of the
pilgrimage site itself? How do the pilgrim's ampullae and the Sancta
Sanctorum reliquary box reinforce the pilgrim's identification with the
events of Christ's life in a very tangible way once he/she has returned
home? What relationship is established here between relic and image? |
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March 11-19: Spring Break
IX.
Liturgy, Display and Ideology: Ivories and Silver Vessels of the Sixth and Seventh
Centuries [Back to Calendar]
| 3/20 |
|
Images |
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| Reading |
Lowden, 79-83 |
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Susan A. Boyd, "Art in the Service of
the Liturgy: Byzantine Silver Plate," in, Linda Safran, ed. Heaven
on Earth. Art and the Church in Byzantium (University Park PA, 1998),
152-185 |
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*Ruth Leader, "The David Plates
Revisited," Art Bulletin 82, no. 3 (2000), 407-427. |
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| Discussion |
What purposes do Byzantine silver and ivory
objects serve with the Byzantine liturgy? What does Byzantine silver
reveal about secular taste and continuities with Roman antiquity? How
does Leader critique conventional interpretations of the David plates in
terms of imperial ideology? |
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X. Early Byzantine Material
Culture: Textiles, Amulets and Magic [Back
to Calendar]
| 3/22 |
|
Images |
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| Reading |
*H. Maguire, "Garments pleasing to
God," Dumbarton Oaks Papers 44 (1990):215-24 |
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Mango, Art of the Byzantine Empire, 50-51 |
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*G. Vikan, "Art, Medicine, and Magic in
Early Byzantium," Dumbarton Oaks Papers 38 (1984):65-86 |
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*T. Dale, "The Power of the Anointed:
The Life of David on Two Coptic Textiles in the Walters Art
Gallery," Journal of the Walters Art Gallery 51 (1993):23-42 |
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| Discussion |
To what extent do textiles, and the stamped
or engraved objects considered here share the iconography of works of
art made for the elite cultures of church and state, such as manuscript
illumination and silver? How is the function of narrative transformed by
its functional context on clothing or amulets, or as interior decoration
for houses? |
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XI. Likeness and Presence:
Portrait Icons before Iconoclasm [Back
to Calendar]
| 3/27 |
|
Images |
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| Reading |
Belting, 78-114 |
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R. Cormack, Painting the Soul: Icons, Death
Masks and Shrouds (London, 1997), 32-88 |
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Mathews, Clash of Gods, 177-190. |
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Recommended,
especially for illustrations and commentaries on individual icons: K.
Weitzmann, The Icon ( New York, 1978). |
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| Discussion |
How did the Early Byzantine Church overcome
the traditional Judeo-Christian resistence to fashioning portrait images
of God and holy personages (prophets, saints...)? What continuities from
the ancient, pre-Christian cult/ritual of images does Belting emphasize?
How do Cormack and Mathews call into question traditional interpretations of
icons and their origins? |
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XII. Iconoclasm, the Cult and
Theory of Holy Images [Back
to Calendar]
| 3/29 |
|
Images |
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| Reading |
Belting, Likeness and Presence, 144-63 |
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Mango, Art of the Byzantine Empire, 149-77 |
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| Discussion |
What are the principal causes of iconoclasm?
What theological arguments do the iconoclasts (opponents of icons) make
against holy images and what justifications for icons do the iconoduels
(proponents of icons) offer in their defense? |
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XIII. The Macedonian "Renaissance", Court Art and
Ideology [Back
to Calendar]
| 4/3 |
|
Images |
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| Reading |
R. Cormack, "Interpreting the Mosaics of
Saint Sophia," in The Byzantine Eye (London, 1989), pt. VI |
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*K. Weitzmann, "The Character and
Intellectual Origins of the Macedonian Renaissance" in Studies in
Classical and Byzantine Manuscript Illumination. Chicago, 1971, 176-223 |
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| Recommended |
H. Maguire, "Style and
Ideology in Byzantine Imperial Art," Gesta 28 (1989):217-31 |
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Glory
of Byzantium, 183-191, 219-223 |
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| Discussion |
How does the monumental decoration installed
in Hagia Sophia after Iconoclasm incorporate the theological arguments
used to support the reinstatement of images? To what extent can the
flourishing of the arts in Byzantium after the crisis of iconoclasm be
considered a "renaissance" (= "rebirth of
antiquity")? What was the ideological (political/social) basis for
aesthetic/iconographic choices in the art of this period? |
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XIV. "Icons in Space": Middle Byzantine Church Decoration [Back
to Calendar]
| 4/5 |
***QUIZ 2 (Topics VII-XII inclusive)*** |
Images |
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| 4/10 |
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| Reading |
Lowden, 229-270 |
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O. Demus, Byzantine Mosaic Decoration (London,
1948), 3-39 |
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Belting, Likeness and Presence, 164-83 |
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*T. Mathews, "The Transformation Symbolism
in Byzantine Architecture and the Meaning of the Pantokrator in the
Dome," in Church and People in Byzantium, ed., R. Morris (Birmingham,
1990), 191-214 |
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*C. Barber, "From Transformation to
Desire: Art and Worship after Byzantine Iconoclasm," Art Bulletin 75
(1993):7-16 |
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| Recommended |
Sharon Sharon Gerstel, "Liturgical scrolls
in the Byzantine sanctuary," Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies
1994, v. 35, no. 2, Summer, 195-204 |
|
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| Discussion |
How does Otto Demus define the "classical
system" of Middle Byzantine church decoration, and what essential
relationships does he establish between art and architectural space/art
and the beholder? Why does this constitute for Belting an "applied
theory of images"? How do small scale icons fit into this new scheme;
what are the origins of the iconostasis? How does Mathews critique Demus
and attempt to redefine the nature of Middle Byzantine church decoration;
what does he see as the essential function of the Pantocrator in the dome
vis-ŕ-vis the spectator? How does Barber call into question Mathews'
interpretation of the Pantocrator? |
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XV. Middle Byzantine Programs in Foreign Courts [Back
to Calendar]
| 4/12 |
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Images |
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| 4/17 |
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| 4/19 |
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| Reading |
Lowden, 309-346 |
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Belting, Likeness and Presence, 195-207 |
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*E. Kitzinger, "Mosaic Decoration in
Sicily under Roger II and the Classical System of Church Decoration,"
Italian Church Decoration in the Middle Ages, ed. W. Tronzo
(Bologna, 1989), 147-65 |
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*W. Tronzo, "Byzantine Court Culture from
the Point of View of Norman Sicily" in H. Maguire, ed., Byzantine
Court Culture from 829-1204 (Washington D.C., 1997), 101-114 |
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Illustrations |
Tronzo, The Cultures of His Kingdom: Roger II and the
Cappella Palatina in Palermo (Princeton, 1997) |
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Glory of Byzantium, 281-286 |
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| Discussion |
How is Middle Byzantine church decoration
adapted in different for specific ideological and religious reasons in the
courts of the Kievan Rus, Norman Sicily and Venice? How do Kitzinger and
Tronzo take into account specific aspects of court ritual and privileged
viewing in their interpretations? What are the distinctive functions
fulfilled by Islamic, Byzantine and Italian elements in the decorative
program of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo? |
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XVI. Crusader Art and Multiculturalism [Back
to Calendar]
| 4/24 |
|
Images |
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| Reading |
Glory of Byzantium, 389-401 |
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*Lucy-Ann Hunt, "Art and Colonialism: The
Mosaics of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (1169) and the Problem
of 'Crusader' Art," Dumbarton Oaks Papers 45 (1991) 69-85 |
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*Eva Hoffman, "Christian-Islamic
Encounters on Thirteenth-Century Ayyubid Metalwork: Local Culture,
Authenticity and Memory," Gesta XLIII/2 (2004):129-142 |
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| Discussion |
How is "Crusader Art" usually
defined and what does Hunt find problematic about conventional
definitions? What role do the indigenous Christians of the Holy Land play
in shaping Crusader Art? What do the frescoes and mosaics in the church of
the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem reveal about cultural exchange between
Byzantium and the West? What are the theological and political
implications of the iconographic program? How do the metalwork and glass
objects studied by Eva Hoffman further complicate the definition of
"Crusader Art" in terms of production and intended audiences? |
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XVII. The Shroud of Turin and Liturgical Images of the Passion [Back
to Calendar]
| 04/26 |
***Assignment 2 Due*** |
Images |
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| Reading |
*W. Dale, "The Shroud of Turin: Icon or
Relic?" Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research 29
(1987): 187-192 |
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*S. Čurčić,
"Late Byzantine 'Loca Sancta'? Some Questions Regarding Form and
Function of Epitaphioi," in Twilight of Byzantium (Princeton,
1991),
251-61 |
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| Discussion |
Why does Dale argue that the traditional
question of the authenticity of the shroud of Turin is a false one and how
does he redefine the terms of debate? How did the image of the Threnos
emerge and how did it prepare the way for a full-length image of the body
of Christ? How does Čurčić
explain the function of related images on epitaphioi? |
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XVIII. The Palaeologan Renaissance and the Collapse
of the Empire [Back
to Calendar]
| 5/1 |
|
Images |
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| 5/3 |
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| Reading |
Lowden, 389-424 |
|
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Krautheimer/Čurčić,
Early Christian & Byzantine Architecture, 413-50 (esp. 440ff). |
|
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| Discussion |
What impact did the political and religious
climate of the late Byzantine empire have on the appearance of Byzantine
art and architecture? What role is played by private patrons? |
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| Sunday, 5/7 |
***FINAL EXAMINATION, ROOM L150 at 10:05
AM*** |
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