ARHI 44220 - Medieval Art in England (1066-1530)

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

Art History

Description:

This course introduces students to the art and architecture of the English Middle Ages, a period during which England developed from a state on the periphery of Europe into a major international power. It was a period in which the visual arts were at the centre of religious and secular life, and when wealthy patrons lavished vast sums of money on spectacular artistic and architectural commissions. With a short summary of the existing Anglo-Saxon art history before 1066, the course starts with the Norman Conquest, which introduced the monumental Romanesque style from Europe into English art and architecture. A relationship with European art and culture remained central to the development of art and architecture in England right up to the Reformation in the mid sixteenth century, when so much of the visual culture of the country was swept away with the Catholic Church. The course will focus largely on object-based studies of the various media of production, from the massive scale of architecture, and major cycles of painting, sculpture and stained glass to the most delicate illuminated manuscripts, ivories, jewellery and metalwork. In some areas England followed a European lead, while in others, notably architecture, textiles, stained glass and alabaster sculpture, the English provided a cultural lead to their European neighbours. Throughout the course, more general questions will also be explored, particularly the socio-economic context in which art was produced. A programme of visits to museums and medieval buildings will support these thematic concerns, enabling students to discuss issues of context and function, and a visit to a conservation studio will illustrate the problems of attempting to read the history of the past through surviving artefacts which are often faded remnants of their original selves.

Credits:

3.00

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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