CLAS 213(F) Greek Art and Myth (Same as ArtH 213)

ARTH 213(F) Greek Art and Myth (Same as Classics 213)
Classical myth provides rich subject matter for painters and sculptors throughout the history of western art. This course investigates the earliest representation of myth in Greek art of the seventh through the first centuries B.C.E. Sophisticated narratives involving gods and heroes first appear in a variety forms and contexts. Myth informs the visual culture of the Greeks on many levels, from paintings on vases used in domestic contexts to the marble sculpture that decorated the monumental temples of great sanctuaries throughout the Greek world. The purpose of the course is two-fold: to familiarize students with the subjects and narratives of Greek myths and the underlying belief system that, in part, produced them, and also provide a comprehensive outline of developments in Greek art in the first millenium B.C.E. Of special interest will be the techniques developed by artists for representing narratives visually, as well as the conceptual issues that underlie certain myths, such as sacrifice, war, marriage, coming of age, specific festivals, and the relationships between men and women, and those between mortals and immortals. Reading will include ancient literature in translation (Hesiod, Homer, Sappho, Aischylos, Sophokles, Euripides and Apollodorus) as well as secondary literature by contemporary authors that provides insights into the religious, social and historical developments that influenced artists in their choices of subject matter and style.
Format: lecture. Requirements: two short papers; quiz; hour test; final exam. Required fieldtrip to The Metropolitan Museum in New York.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 45 (expected: 45). The course satisfies the pre-1400 and pre-1800 requirements.
Hour: MCGOWAN