Introduction to Art History II: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque (FLEX)

Welcome to an introduction of the arts of the Medieval period through the Baroque period of the 1800s in Europe! During this course, students will learn basic artistic concepts and terminology through a discovery of the artistic processes of the changing world from 500 CE-1800CE. Students can expect to become familiar with basic art historical frameworks and terminology and major art pieces of these periods through lectures and hands-on assignments over six weeks of exploration. The course schedule is as follows:

Week 1: The Medieval Arts of Europe
In Week 1, students will be introduced to art history with a brief discussion of art terms and how to talk about art, which ensures that students have a foundation for the remainder of the six-week course. Then, we will discuss the arts of medieval Europe, focusing heavily on architecture. Students will learn about the effects of the spread of Christianity in art during this period and spend the majority of the class discussing Christian architecture and sculpture. We will focus on the famed Notre Dame cathedral in Paris as a case study during this lesson, where students will learn about how these monumental churches were built, the importance of the sculptural elements inside and out of the churches, and about the process of making stained glass. Students will also discuss relics that were housed in these places of worship. Finally, students will discuss the painting of illuminated manuscripts and tapestries--both types of art that would have been considered important to the wealthy and what stories they told. For homework, students will have the option to draw their own version of a stained glass window based on what they learned about stained glass in class. Students will participate in a discussion in the classroom about important aspects of churches and cathedrals at this time and will find another medieval church to post about in the classroom, where they will compare and contrast what we have seen in class with their own cathedral.

Week 2: The Arts of the Byzantine Empire
In Week 2, students will focus on the Byzantine Empire, which was the only part of the Roman empire that survived after 500 CE. Students will focus heavily on the influence of Islamic cultures in the Byzantine Empire and will learn the differences in architecture between Mosques and Cathedrals, using the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul as the primary example. Students will learn about the rule of Justinian and how his rule affected art production--primarily through mosaics. Students will be invited to create their own mosaics for homework and share them in the classroom. Students will also be asked to compare what we learned about last week with what we learned about this week, discussing the similarities and differences between Byzantine and Western European medieval art.

Week 3: The Italian Renaissance
This week, students will be exposed to a number of famous artists through our discussion of the Italian Renaissance. Students will learn about how the Renaissance happened and the importance of humanism at this time. They will primarily discuss painting and discuss the shift to more realism within images, starting with the works of Raphael. Then, we will discuss representations of the human body during this time, comparing Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man and Michelangelo's images on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Students will discuss the differences in art production in different parts of Italy and the importance of the church in commissioning some of the most famous works of this time. Students will be asked to attempt to create their own Vitruvian Man (or woman!) for homework and share in the classroom! Students will also reply to questions in the classroom and lookup an Italian Renaissance artist wee did not discuss in lecture and discuss what traits of Italian Renaissance art they can identify in their artworks.

Week 4: The Northern/German Renaissance
Week 4 covers the lesser-known Northern or German Renaissance. Students will learn about the differences in artistic development between Italy and Northern Europe at this time, focusing on paintings by artists like Jan Van Eyck and Albrecht Durer--through which students will learn about the shifting role of the artist in society. Further, students will be introduced to the idea of genre painting, or painting of everyday scenes and discuss why this might be important. Students will learn about art for the masses this week and discuss the importance of the invention of the printing press. An emphasis will be placed on print works this week, and students will have the change to create their own print for homework! Students will compare a few given paintings by Italian Masters and Northern Masters and discuss the differences between these two traditions in the classroom. 

Week 5: Baroque and Rococo Art
This week is all about the elaborate ornamentation of baroque and rococo art! Students will start this week discussing famous artists Rembrandt and Caravaggio and how their attention to detail produced art that was very different from their Renaissance counterparts! We will discuss the introduction of realistic light and shadow in art to dramatize scenes, looking at Artemisia Gentileschi's "Judith and Holofernes" as an example of this. We will discuss the lush landscapes and stories of Rococo through the works of French artists like Jean Honore-Fragonard, whose work "The Swing" is considered the pinnacle of Rococo lavishness.  For class this week, students will be asked to find a baroque artist that we did not cover in class and share the artist with others and how their works fit the characteristics of the Baroque period! 

Week 6: Romanticism and Neoclassicism  
In this last week, Romanticism and Neoclassicism battle it out for the lead in the art world! Students will discuss the stark differences between the romanticists and neoclassicists, and be able to identify the traits of both. We will discuss the Romantics through the works of Peter Paul Reubens and the Reubenists followers and the Neoclassicists through the works of Nicholas Poussain and his Poussainists followers. Students will learn about how this break in the art world would allow for later developments of academic art in France and a push back against rigorous artistic development rules, which would lead to the Impressionist movement in the late 1800s. Students will discuss the Poussainists and Reubenists in the classroom and decide which they think is better together!