ARTH 224(F) Romanesque and Gothic Art and Architecture: The Medieval Church in Context
The goal of this course is to survey the major works of ecclesiastical architecture, sculpture and stained glass produced in France between approximately 1050 and 1400. These works were not created in isolation from their surroundings; thus we will attempt to understand them not only stylistically, but also in their original functional, social, and sometimes even political settings. The course will emphasize the abbey church and the cathedral, the two major ecclesiastical buildings of this period, as heterogeneous entities that used architecture, sculpture, stained glass and other media, in conjunction with church ritual, to render their sacred spaces distinct from, and elevated above, the world outside. We will furthermore try to appreciate the special centrality of the abbey church and the cathedral in high medieval society. Sites for contact with God and for the development of advanced learning, they could also serve as critical determinants of local economic and political life, and as focuses of pilgrimage, trade, and international cultural exchange.
Format: lecture. Requirements: midterm, final, three to four short papers.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 30.
Satisfies the pre-1400 and pre-1800 requirements.
Hour: LOW