AL 34129 - The Portrayal of Royalty: Art in Tudor and Stuart Britain

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

Arts and Letters (Non-dept.)

Description:

This course will introduce students to the dramatic developments in art during the Tudor and Stuart period, changes closely linked to the momentous shifts in the royal, religious and political landscape of Britain during this time. Henry VIII's Protestant Reformation marked a new start for English art: for the first time portraiture became the most important genre of art and the Tudor monarchs came to recognise the importance of their own images as a means of articulating their power. We will investigate how Holbein broke new ground in creating a wholly distinctive and instantly recognisable image of Henry VIII, and how Henry's youngest daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, cultivated her own personal mythology as the "Virgin Queen" in art which reached a new complexity of symbolism. The course will also explore the way in which the Stuart kings, James I and Charles I, introduced a more international style to Britain. Charles I built up a great art collection (including works by Raphael, Mantegna, Titian) and employed the great Flemish artists Rubens and Van Dyck to create images celebrating his absolute authority. His emphasis on the `Divine Right of Kings' would lead to Civil War and his own execution, but he left a great legacy to art in Britain. The course will give students a detailed introduction to the work of some of the greatest artists of the period within its historical context, and a first-hand experience of the works will be a major feature of the programme. We will be making full use of the magnificent collections of the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain and the Victoria & Albert Museum not only to look at great paintings of the period but also to set these in the context of the wider visual culture of the time, including costume, portrait miniatures, tapestries and decorative arts.

Credits:

1.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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