Introduction to Art History 1

Description

Constellation: Cognition and Imagination This course introduces students to the study of material and artistic cultures from prehistory up to the Late Middle Ages. Students will learn the basics of formal, iconographical and contextual analysis, citing key examples of Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Early Christian, Byzantine, Islamic and Late Medieval art. Special interest will be given to the understanding of these art works in their specific social, cultural and historical contexts. What can these objects tell us about the societies that produced them? And how do contemporary societies relate to these objects in terms of local, national and/ or world heritage? From a more theoretical point of view, students will learn to work with concepts such as periodization, stylistic development, the concepts of art vs craft, and the social position and status of artists over the centuries. The course is complemented by Introduction to Art History 2 . Taught in the second semester, this second course covers the Early Renaissance up to 21st-century art. When taken together, the courses provide a comprehensive overview of the field of art history. Please note, however, that both courses are designed to function independently from one another, so it is well possible to take just one of them. Objectives: At the end of this course, The student is able to identify a number of key objects from prehistoric times up to the Late Medieval period; and is able to relate them to their social, cultural and historical context, up to the present day. The student is conversant with a basic art historical vocabulary of relevant technical and critical terms. The student is able to make a basic formal and iconographical analysis of works of art. The student can apply these art historical skills in a structured paper about an object from a museum collection, integrating text and visuals to a satisfactory degree. The student can reflect on broader concepts, such as periodization and stylistic development, and the way that art objects mediate messages about power relations and values in cultures and societies from both past and present.