This course is designed to introduce students to the great traditions in art, as well as to the discipline of Art History. The fall semester will focus primarily on the art of the Western tradition, from the ancient Near East to the dawn of the Renaissance in Europe. The spring semester, which covers the Baroque period through the modern era, also includes significant study of the art of China and Japan. The aims of this course are two-fold. First, we will learn the language of art, that is, we will learn to analyze and discuss works of art in terms of their formal values. Second, we will examine works of art in their role as vehicles for communications within their historical and cultural contexts.
ARH 1016 Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo (Fall 2008) (3 cr.)
This lecture course explores the lives and works of three of the best-known artists and architects of the Italian Renaissance: Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello Sanzio, and Michelangelo Buonarroti. The name recognition of these artists belies their importance for the art and development of the High Renaissance style in Italy, and the history of Western art and art appreciation in general. The lives and careers of these men span from roughly 1450 to 1565, a period of time encompassing what is commonly referred to as the Early and High Renaissance in Italy. This class will provide the vehicle for in-depth analysis of each artist’s oeuvre, training, and stylistic development. Together, we will examine the relationship of each artist’s work to the culture and artistic developments of the Renaissance. We will focus on understanding the role of patronage in their lives and works. We will also explore the myths and legends about each of these artists -- from divine inspiration to the burdens of terrible genius. Ultimately, it is hoped that students will come away with a better understanding of what makes the work of Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo significant. But it is also hoped that students will develop a more critical awareness of the changing role of the artist -- and of art -- in society.
This lecture course introduces students to painting, manuscript illumination, sculpture, and architecture produced in Europe during the 4th to the 14th centuries. Topics include Early Christian, Byzantine, Early Medieval, Carolingian, Islamic, Ottonian and Romanesque art, as well as the birth and development of Gothic architecture. Lectures will also explore the evolution of cathedral sculpture, stained glass, and manuscript illumination. The end of the course will be dedicated to the study of the Gothic period in Italy. Grades will be based on attendance, participation, and three exams.
ARH 2005 Art in Italy 1250-1475 (Fall 2009) (3 cr.)
This lecture course introduces students to painting, sculpture, and architecture in Italy from 1200-1475, a time span that encompasses the “Italian Gothic” as well as the Early Renaissance. Lectures examine the development of style, focusing on the revival of antiquity in the visual and textual cultures. Special attention is given to patronage, urbanism, and the creation of civic spaces. Florence, Siena, Venice, and Rome are our primary focus, as are artists such as Giotto, Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Botticelli. Students will become familiar with writers of the period, and it is hoped, adept at critically reading primary texts. Class lectures and readings roughly follow a chronological plan, although the material has been organized thematically. There will be a midterm, final, and one essay (2-3 pages).
ARH 2006 The High Renaissance in Italy, 1475-1600 (Spring 2010) (3 cr.)
This lecture course introduces students to the painting, sculpture and architecture in Italy from 1475-1600, a period known as the High Renaissance. Lectures will examine questions of style, material, function, and patronage in the work of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, and their most prominent contemporaries. Special attention will be given to ecclesiastical and political history, urbanism, and where appropriate, issues of gender. Students will become familiar with writers of the period, and it is hoped, adept at critically reading primary texts. Class lectures and readings roughly follow a chronological plan, although the material has been organized thematically. There will be a midterm, final, and one essay (2-3 pages).
ARH 2020 Northern Renaissance Art (Fall 2009) (3 cr.)
This lecture course explores the artistic production of Flanders, the Netherlands, France and Germany from approximately 1350 to 1600, beginning with an examination of the International Style and ending with the school of Fontainebleau. Although special attention will be paid to cross-cultural exchange with Italy, lectures will attempt to place the art of Northern Europe within its own unique cultural context. We will examine the works of the Limbourg Brothers, Jan Van Eyck, Bosch, Durer, Holbein and Brueghel, among others. There will be a midterm, final, and one essay (2-3 pages).
ARH 2038 Baroque Art and Architecture in Italy (Spring 2010) (3 cr.)
This lecture course introduces students to the painting, sculpture, and architecture produced in Italy during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Lectures will examine cultural, political, and intellectual changes in seventeenth century Europe that make the art of this period distinctive. Topics to be explored include the emerging prominence of female artists; architecture and urbanism in Rome; the impact of the Counter-Reformation and Council of Trent on the arts; changing patterns of patronage; antiquarianism and art collecting. We will also examine the careers of individual artists in depth, including Bernini, Caravaggio, the Carracci, and Artemisia Gentileschi. There will be a midterm, final, and one essay (2-3 pages).
Spring Break 2009
This class is offered in conjunction with the Art History Department's Study Trip to Rome during the March spring vacation. Students are introduced to the vast architectural and artistic riches of the city of Rome from antiquity through the Renaissance and Baroque by daily guided visits to monuments such as the Imperial Forum, Colosseum, the Basilica of Saint Peter’s, the Vatican Museums, and the Capitoline Museums. A day trip to Tivoli is planned, where students will explore the ancient Villa of Hadrian, and the Renaissance gardens of the Villa d’Este. There are trip charges in addition to tuition. Sign up with the Art History Department occurs in the fall term to allow travel arrangements to be made. Students must have permission of the instructors to register. Students enrolled in Section 1 with Prof. Cifarelli will write a research paper on an aspect of ancient Roman culture or art; students enrolled in Section 2 with Prof. Rafanelli will write a research paper on an aspect of Renaissance or Baroque culture or art. (Spring 2009).
Syllabus in development
Spring Break 2010
ARH 3057/5057 The Glory of Renaissance Venice (Fall 2009) (4 cr.)
This seminar focuses on painting, sculpture and architecture produced in Venice during the 15th and 16th centuries. We begin by analyzing the relationships between Venice and Byzantium, and Venice and the East. We move on to in-depth examinations of the religious paintings of Bellini, Carpaccio’s narrative paintings, the “painted poetry” of Giorgione and Titian, the drama of Tintoretto, and the grandeur (and controversy) of Veronese. We will also investigate the importance of the nearby mainland -- from Giotto’s Arena Chapel and Donatello’s bronze sculptures in Padua, to Palladian villas in the Veneto. Students complete a research paper and present an oral report; mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops. Prerequisites: One art history course or permission of the instructor.
ARH 3079/5079 Michelangelo (Spring 2010) (4 cr.)
This seminar explores the life and work of “the Divine” Michelangelo Buonarroti, perhaps the best known artist and architect of the Italian Renaissance. This course provides the vehicle for in-depth analysis of the artist’s oeuvre, training, and stylistic development. Additional topics include the relationship of the artist’s work to the culture and artistic developments of the Renaissance, the importance of Michelangelo’s patrons, and myths and legends about the artist -- from divine inspiration to the burdens of terrible genius. Students complete a research paper and present an oral report; mandatory attendance at all required field trips and workshops. Prerequisites: One art history course or permission of the instructor.
ARH 3081/5081 The Art of Fifteenth Century Florence (Spring 2009) (4 cr.)
This seminar explores painting, sculpture, and architecture produced in 15th-century Florence, the city that is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance. This course will offer students the opportunity to consider the important role of art in the culture of the early Renaissance. Together, we will examine the question of Early Renaissance style and the revival of antiquity, the changing status of the artist, and evolving patterns of patronage – from the guilds of Florence to the powerful Medici family. Artists to be studied include Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Donatello, Ghiberti, Fra Angelico, Alberti, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, and Verrocchio. Students complete a research paper and present an oral report; mandatory attendance at all required field trips and workshops. Prerequisites: One art history course or permission of the instructor.
ARH 3089/5089 The Life and Times of Leonardo da Vinci (Fall 2010) (4 cr.)
This seminar investigates the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci, examining his oeuvre, training, stylistic development, and contributions to the Renaissance. Students will be asked to read and analyze the work of several authors such as Giorgio Vasari, Sigmund Freud and Dan Brown, who “invent” Leonardo, contributing to the myths and legends surrounding him, and blurring the line between fact and fiction. Students complete a research paper and present an oral report; mandatory attendance at all required field trips and workshops. Prerequisites: One art history course or permission of the instructor.
Decoding DaVinci
Castle Scholars Honors Program (CSCH 3002) (Fall 2008) (4 cr.)
This interdisciplinary seminar takes as its point of departure Dan Brown’s contemporary fictional thriller, The DaVinci Code. Students will be introduced to a wide array of written primary sources as well as visual materials that will help them come to a more sophisticated, critical understanding of some of the factual and interpretive assertions made by the author about the identity of Saint Mary Magdalene, and the life and work of one of the best known, but perhaps least-understood, artists of the Italian Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci. Students do not need to have completed any prior course work in art history. Prerequisites Castle Scholars Program; students with 3.4 GPA or better.
Preliminary Syllabus
