THEMES IN THE STUDY OF MEDIEVAL VISUAL CULTURE

DESCRIPTION: Many issues associated with contemporary artistic production and visual culture originated in the Middle Ages. Themes to be considered include images of power, piety, and belief; the languages of forms, media, and aesthetic attitudes; relationships among cultures in holy war, crusade, and pilgrimage; artists and patrons, both male and female; so-called secular art; etc. (Tier 2 level)

As an introduction to the study of visual culture in the Middle Ages, the course has the following goals:

-to think about and to discuss both primary and secondary texts critically

-to write effectively at the upper-division university level

-to understand visual languages and how they function

-to understand basic political, social, and religious tenets and institutions and how they function

-to learn specialized historiography, iconography, and terminology

-to understand and use manuscript and architectural terminology and drawings

ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance at all classes is required as the instructor will be presenting material not readily available in print or in English. Students who miss more than two classes may be dropped from the course. Do NOT cut class in order to finish a paper or because you are not prepared; that only makes things worse. If you need to miss a class for a valid reason, an absence may be marked excused if prior notification is given (e-mail to goth@ucsc.edu or telephone 459-2055).

To hold your place in the course, you must attend the first three classes, or notify me prior to class if you must be absent.

READING NOTES: The notes are for you; therefore, they can be written (typing not required) in any style that you find helpful in order to provide a record of your reading, prepare for class discussion and examinations, and demonstrate that you have dealt with the material. The required length is minimal, but you should answer the questions posed in the syllabus and deal with at least some of the issues substantively that are listed on p. 1 of the Course Reader. They are due on the date assigned, but in any case at least 70% of the notes must be handed in within a week of their due date to pass the course. Generally, your notes will be returned to you at the next class period.

Notes on Gardner and the Bible are not required except as noted in the syllabus.

RESERVES: Various books for illustrations and specific interest are located at the Reserve Desk in McHenry Library. A catalogue is located nearby. Papers handed out in class will be placed in the file, "Course Papers," as will examples of student work. Videos are located at the Media Center adjacent. Some slides for exam study will be available at the Slide Library on level 1 of McHenry; special viewing schedules will be set up at exam time; individual viewing may also be possible; call x9-2791. Images shown on examinations will have been seen in class and will be available in the required reading or at the Slide Library.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION: All students must have an e-mail address and send the instructor a message with subject line: "129 enrolled"; no other message is required.

The website address for this course is: http://wwwcatsic.ucsc.edu/~arth125 (medieval visual culture)

Some useful websites for this course are:

http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/~goth/arth164/ (Romanesque Architecture)

http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/~arth165a/ (Gothic Architecture)

http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/

The publisher of the textbook has an interactive site at www.art.wadsworth.com

LETTER GRADES and EVALUATIONS: All work showing satisfactory effort must be submitted in a timely fashion to pass the course. Late papers will incur a grade penalty. Grades will be calculated as follows:

20% -- attendance, reading notes, and participation in class

35% -- papers and oral report (two papers of 4-6 pages and group oral report)

45% -- examinations (midterm and final)

The final examination, which is regarded as the culmination of your quarter's efforts, must be passed in order to pass the course. Improvement will be weighed significantly. Students are encouraged to help the instructor design the exams; hand/send her your suggestions. Standards of academic honesty in all work are required for students to pass the course; consult the current Schedule of Classes, p. 30.

NOTE: It is Board policy not to grant extensions on papers or incompletes except in serious emergencies. Call the instructor as soon as possible. A written note from a proper authority (Health Center, police, etc.) documenting the emergency is required. No incompletes for the course can be given as the instructor will be away fall quarter.

Students with disabilities needing accommodation must communicate with the instructor as soon as possible, at least by April 15.

SCHEDULE OF MAJOR EVENTS

subject to change with notice

Tu April 29 Analysis paper, typed, due at beginning of class in two copies

Tu May 6 Midterm examination in class

Th May 29 – June 5 oral student group reports

Th June 5 oral report papers due at beginning of class

Tu June 10 Final exam in the classroom

9-11 a.m.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students who cannot take the exam at this time should not enroll in the class. The exam cannot be given early.

TEXTS

Required texts (available at Bay Tree Bookstore and, except for the Course Reader, on reserve):

Course Reader, containing primary sources, selected excerpts from scholarly literature and

materials to aid in the understanding of course matter

Fred S. Kleiner, Christin J. Mamiya, Richard G. Tansey, Gardner's Art through the Ages, 11th ed., vol. I

Caecilia Davis-Weyer, Early Medieval Art 300-1150: Sources and Documents

Blanche Ellsworth, English Simplified

Recommended:

James Smith Pierce, From Abacus to Zeus

CLASS SCHEDULE

The instructor hopes to keep to schedule, but makes no guarantee.

Tu April 1 Introduction: goals of course, medieval visual culture: themes, survey and analysis

Required: Introductory material in Course Reader and Gardner. Familiarize yourself with the layout and contents of each.

Peruse Gardner, Introduction.

TRANSFORMATIONS IN LATE ANTIQUE MEDITERRANEAN VISUAL CULTURES

Th April 3 Transformations in Roman Imperial visual culture

Required: Gardner, 215-29, 180

Reader, Wolff, The Social Production of Art, excerpts

Reader, Pollitt, 189-213

Reading notes: Summarize specifically the selections from Pollitt and Wolff; hand in. Include specific, concrete points, and authors' or patrons' names for the Pollitt material. No reading notes on Gardner are required.

Tu April 8 Imagery in the new Late Antique world and its many religions

Required: Gardner, 230-39

Davis-Weyer, 3-7, 37-44, 47-49 (Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Jerome, Augustine, Gregory)

Reader, primary sources on images from-- Pollitt, (Vitruvius, Plotinus), Mango (Eusebius)

(con't. next page)

Prepare to debate whether images should be allowed in late Antique cultures by arguing solely from the reading assigned. You might want to play one of the authors assigned ("funformation").

Reading notes: Hand in summaries with specific points on each group or section of readings (Davis-Weyer, Pollitt, Mango) delineating its importance for a study of medieval visual culture. List several important points or significant sentences from the reading, noting authors' or patrons' names.

Required (also): Reader, Bible, extracts from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the Creation and salvations texts, selected light imagery

Wharton, "Good and Bad Images from the Synagogue of Dura Europos" in Course Reader. Read and prepare for discussion in class.

Reading notes: See notes for study questions to prepare for discussion of required reading in the Reader, p. 1. Hand in at class a page of response to some of the questions listed there and at least five significant sentences from the Wharton article. (Please note that not all questions are relevant for each selected reading.)

Include any questions you have. (For "funformation," can you delineate "good and bad images" in current culture?)

Read Weiss and Netzer to supplement Wharton (Reader).

Recommended: As well as the summary in Gardner of Christian subjects, a very useful book is Pierce, From Abacus to Zeus, on "Christian Subjects" for access to biblical stories. Pierce is also very good on basic terms, etc.

Th April 10 The Power of the Book

Guest instructor, Elisabeth Remak-Honnef, Ph.D., art historian, manuscript specialist, and Humanities librarian

Meet in McHenry Library instructional area, round the corner to the right (level 2 entrance)

Tu April 15 The new Church Order I

Required: Gardner, 240-42

Davis-Weyer, 11-15

Reading notes: Hand in summaries with specific points on each group of readings delineating its importance for a study of medieval visual culture. List several important points or significant sentences from the reading. Note authors' or patrons' names.

Also study architectural terms in Gardner's Glossary and p. 179, in the central Middle Ages section of Reader, and on the ARTH 125 website (aisle, apse, arcade, basilica, clerestory, nave, transept).

For information on architectural terms, in addition to class books, see the website: http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/~arth125/terms.html

EARLY MEDIEVAL VISUAL CULTURES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN

Th April 17 The new Church Order II

Required: Gardner, 243-46

Davis-Weyer, 17-25 (Paulinus); skim 26-33

Reading notes: as for Davis-Weyer on 4/15 (no notes required on pp. 26-33)

Tu April 22 Ravenna, Byzantium, and Islam: Visual languages of theocracy

Required: Gardner, 246-69, 288-99, 303-7

Davis-Weyer, 16-17, 50-52

Reader, Bible selections on building (Kings, Ezekiel 40)

Mango, Churches, Edessa, Hagia Sophia, S. Vitale)

Reading notes: as for Davis-Weyer on 4/15; include here, exceptionally, notes on the biblical readings. Also, for "funformation," prepare to commission a building based on the material read; selected students will order theirs before the class.

Recommended: video: Re-examining Baptismal Fonts VT 2069; focus on the historical material.

Th April 24 Popular culture and pilgrimage: Mixing cultures in the Mediterranean

Required: Gardner, 271-73, 299-301

Reader, Maguire et al., Art and Holy Powers in the Early Christian House, and Vikan, "Don't Leave Home Without Them: Pilgrim Eulogiai Ensure a Safe Trip." Read and prepare for discussion in class.

Reading notes: Write a paragraph summarizing specifically these articles. How do the authors approach the material and how is their approach different from the Gardner text? Refer to notes for discussion of required reading. Also write down at least seven significant sentences. Include any questions you have. Hand in this assignment at class time. For "funformation," Sketch an eulogia depicting a 21st-century subject; display it in class.

EARLY MEDIEVAL VISUAL CULTURES OF THE FRONTIERS AND NORTH OF THE ALPS

Tu April 29 Paper, typed, due at beginning of class; don't be late! Hand in two copies, the second to be evaluated by another student.

Review writing material in Reader, Ellsworth, and Sayre, Writing About Art. Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing about Art, is

(con't. next page)

also useful and like the other publications is on reserve. Remember, papers with too many avoidable errors will not receive credit.

Visual cultures of nomadic and migrating peoples

Required: Gardner, 314-19

Davis-Weyer, 69-70

Reader, Beowulf

Reading notes: as for Davis-Weyer on 4/15 including Beowulf text

Th May 1 Hiberno-Saxon visual culture: Intersections of cultures

Required: Gardner, 320-24

Davis-Weyer, 71-79 (Cogitosus, Bede, etc.)

Reader, review manuscript material and diagrams

Reading notes: as for Davis-Weyer on 4/15

Recommended: Suggest slides and questions for the midterm.

Tu May 6 Midterm. Bring paper; cut off any spiral edges.

See sample questions in Reader. Prepare for exams by writing out some timed answers; read them to other students for comparison and critique; form study groups. Consult the textbook website as helpful.

After exam, catch-up for the rest of the class period.

Th May 8 Christianities permeate the North: Crusade and monasticism; the spatial language of monastic planning

Required: Gardner, 324-333

Reader, monastic plans, The Rule of St. Benedict

Davis-Weyer, 83-84 (Einhard), 92-99 (Centula & Aniane), 100-105 (Caroline Books & Fulda), 128-32 (Cluny)

Reading notes: Note specifically the central elements common to all plans and the main divergences. How are plans of nunneries different from those for monasteries? What are the main points in the Rule of St. Benedict? How do the selected chapters and the Cluny texts help you understand the layout of monasteries? For "funformation," in what ways is your college at UCSC like monastic planning? Sketch a plan of your college and highlight in color the elements like those in a monastery.

for the Davis-Weyer texts, as for Davis-Weyer on 4/15

Recommended: V. Jansen, "Architecture and Community in Medieval Monastic Dormitories," article on reserve

THE CENTRAL MIDDLE AGES: THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CULTURE OF EUROPE AND MODERNISM

Tu May 13 Transformation to the central Middle Ages

Required: Gardner, 334-342, 363-73

Davis-Weyer, 114-124 (Ottonian texts, Glaber, year 1000)

With the text of inscriptions of the Bayeux Tapestry from the Reader, review the "tapestry" posted at McHenry in glass case by ND…books. Study the diagram of the Hildesheim doors in Reader. Photographs of the doors will also be posted. If time, sketch one panel of the Hildesheim doors, showing for "funformation" a student leaving her or his parents to go to college, or some such event. Write a one-sentence text below the panel. (Or do similar with the Bayeux Tapestry, including an inscription.)

Reader, Slatkin (no notes required) and material on Hildegard of Bingen

Reading notes: for Davis-Weyer and Hildegard, as for Davis-Weyer on 4/15

Recommended: video: Madonna and Child: The Development of Christian Styles VT 2275

Th May 15 Romanesque portals: pilgrims, Crusades, and hegemonic images

Required: Gardner, 353-63

Reader, Bible: Ezekiel 1, tympana iconography and diagrams; review Apocalypse selections in Bible, p. 95 ff.

Katzenellenbogen, "The Central Tympanum at Vézelay"

Abou-el-Haj, "The Audiences for the Medieval Cult of Saints," extract

Davis-Weyer, 164-67, 168-70 (Gilbert Crispin, Bernard of Clairvaux)

Reading notes: as for Davis-Weyer on 4/15

Also, briefly delineate the importance of Katzenellenbogen and Abou-el-Haj for a study of medieval visual culture and hand in. Consider the issues and questions cited in the Reader, p. 1. List several important points or significant sentences from the reading. What subjects today might be appropriate for tympanum art?

View video: Light on the Stones: The Medieval Church of Vézelay VT 1651 and text by Georgia Wright in Reader.

Recommended: On reserve, Conrad Rudolph, "The Pilgrimage to Santiago and to the End of the World" (moving narrative about his 1997 walk of The Road)

Tu May 20 Society, culture, and building in the central Middle Ages I

(con't. next page)

Required: Gardner, 342-53

Davis-Weyer, 147-56 (Santiago), 162-64 (Benjamin of Tudela)

Reader, texts on the modern and Carmina burana (no notes)

Reader, Alexander, "Iconography and Ideology: Uncovering Social Meanings in Western Medieval Christian Art,"

Reading notes: as for Katzenellenbogen on May 15 and Davis-Weyer on 4/15

Reader: Study vocabulary of medieval architecture--terms, drawings, and technical matters on the list and worksheet in Reader and on the

125 website. Fill in the worksheet on Toulouse (p. 250).

View videos: Light on the Stones VT 1651 encore

The Cathedral of Speyer (VT 2428)

If time, Cathedral (VT 1993)

Recommended: Gordon, Structures, excerpts

Th May 22 Society, culture, and building in the central Middle Ages II

Required: Gardner, 374-87

Reader, Abbot Suger, and Chartres; review Bible: selected light imagery (Reader, p. 46)

Davis-Weyer, 176-78 (Theophilus)

Reader, Branner, Chartres Cathedral

Reading notes: as for Davis-Weyer on 4/15 for all Reader texts assigned here. List specific points and some adjectives which describe or apply to Gothic architecture.

Fill in the worksheet on Amiens, p. 250 of the Reader, and review terms, p. 247, and on 125 website. For "funformation" could one design a Gothic gazebo? What other building types would the Gothic style suit well?

View video: David Macaulay's Cathedral VT 1993

Recommended: David Macaulay, Cathedral (book)

videos: Architecture of Transcendence VT 1840

The Mystery of the Master Builders (R. Mark in Nova episode) VT 5966

Triumph in Stone VT 2224

Three English Cathedrals: Norwich, Lincoln, and Wells VT 3472

Madonna and Child: The Development of Christian Styles

VT 2275

Tu May 27 Gothic society and visual culture I

Required: Gardner, 387-419

Review New Testament subjects in Gardner, pp. 238-39, and in Reader (or, consult Pierce, From Abacus to Zeus.)

Study diagrams of sculpture and glass at Chartres

Reader: Sandra Penketh, "Women and Books of Hour"

Review Slatkin

Reading notes: Hand in specific points on the importance of Penketh for a study of medieval visual culture and notes as for Katzenellenbogen on May 15

Th May 29 Gothic society and culture II

Student group reports Groups A, B

Tu June 3 Student group reports Groups C, D, E, F

Recommended: Suggest questions for the final.

Th June 5 Student group reports Groups G, H, I, J

Tu June 10 Final exam in the classroom; bring paper; cut off any spiral edges.

9-11 a.m.. Prepare by writing out timed answers and having another student provide a critique. Consult the textbook website as helpful.

Syllabus

THEMES IN THE STUDY OF MEDIEVAL VISUAL CULTURE

CLASS SCHEDULE

THE CENTRAL MIDDLE AGES: THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CULTURE OF EUROPE AND MODERNISM