Description
[Ancient/Medieval] This course explores the artistic traditions of the Western medieval world, from the 4th to the 15th centuries. It considers major artistic movements and developments in architecture, sculpture, painting and graphic arts and positions these within their original social, political and spiritual contexts. Moreover, it traces the ways in which these developments were defined and perceived over time. Topics include: the cultural transformations of the late Roman Empire with the rise of Christianity, Byzantine art and the representational crisis of Iconoclasm, the impact of Islam on art and architecture, Western European traditions of the Carolingians and Ottonians, pilgrimage and Crusade during the Romanesque period and the social and artistic changes associated with the Gothic period throughout Europe.