Erik Inglis

x8554

Office hours: WTh 10-11:30, and by appt.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

A study of European art from c. 1000 and c. 1300, with special emphasis on the architecture and decoration of churches. Topics to be considered include: pilgrimage, the development of Gothic architecture, and the various audiences and functions addressed by art. The meaning of style will be a central theoretical concern.

AIMS OF THE COURSE:

I. to introduce the major monuments of the period.

II. through the knowledge of these works, to enable you to understand and appreciate works you may see when visiting museums, libraries, churches or palaces. After taking this course, when you see a work of art which was not mentioned in the class, you will be able to: determine its date and place of origin, understand its iconography and function, compare it to similar works covered in class.

III. introduce 'style' as an art historical topic. What is style? How is it created, maintained and changed? How is style meaningful?

TEXTBOOK:

There are three text books for this class: Andreas Petzold, Romanesque Art, Nicola Coldstream, Medieval Architecture, and Christopher Wilson, The Gothic Cathedral. I recommend that you purchase them. These books contain all the images you are responsible for learning on the quiz and the final.

ADDITIONAL READING:

The assigned text book readings cover the basic facts about the major works of medieval art on which the class is based. I have assigned a variety of readings to supplement the textbooks. Several are medieval texts, contemporary to the works of art at hand. Others are important articles or chapters of books which expand upon issues discussed in class. In addition to being valuable studies of medieval art, these articles exemplify many different approaches to art history, from stylistic analysis, to iconographic studies, to broader contextual interpretations.

NB: Feel free to skip the footnotes in these articles, which will save you a lot of time.

All the additional readings are on the Reserve shelf. Readings for class discussion are available on ERES; our password is ORDO.

LOOKING ASSIGNMENTS:

No course could cover the countless works of medieval art still extant. For many lectures, I have given a looking assignment, a richly-illustrated book you should flip through casually to get a feel for the breadth and variety of medieval art. I emphasize casually. One of the joys of art history is that you can look at pictures and legitimately claim to be working. If you do these assignments with your classmates, you'll be amazed how differently people see things. Most of the Looking Assignments are on the Open Reserve.

GRADING:

Your final grade will be based on these components:

A. 2 quizzes¼ ..¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 20% (10% each)

B. 3 visual analyses...........................................10% (1st two cr/ne, 3rd for a grade)

B. 4 short essays¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ...40% (10 % each)

C. 1 final¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 20%

D. Participation.................................................10%

E. 5 1-page response papers, graded check, check plus or check minus

NB: All percentages are approximate; if your work improves over the semester, later grades may carry more weight.

ASSIGNMENTS:

The quizzes will require you to perform two fundamental tasks:

I. Identify individual works of art and architecture: what they are, where they were made, when, by whom, for whom, and what they represent (if it�0�10�0�110�0�10�0�1110�0�10�0�110�0�10�0�1128s a figurative image). You will be responsible for identifying only those works that are included both in the lectures and reproduced in one of the textbooks, and will receive a handout in each lecture listing these images. You will also be given one unknown, for which you should be able to suggest the date and place of manufacture by comparison to the works you know.

II. Compare and contrast the appearance and function of various works of art.

Format: 2 identifications 1 minute each

1 unknown 3 minutes

1 comparison/contrast 15 minutes (identify each and analyze their most important similarities and

dissimilarities)

Some tips on studying for quizzes

"Dates are stupidly annoying;--what we want is not dates but taste;--yet we are uncomfortable without them."

Henry Adams, Mont Saint Michel and Chartres, New York, 1904.

a. Do each reading as soon after the lecture as possible, and have your lecture notes with you as you read. Pay special attention to objects or topics covered both in the lecture and the reading. If you don't understand something, or the lecture or the reading is confusing, please come see me and we'll go over the material together.

b. After each lecture, make a list of all the images you are responsible for knowing on the next quiz. This list should include all the information you would be asked for on an identification question (Title, Work, Date, Place, Artists if known). You may well find that writing down this information once, in its entirety, will help you remember it better when it comes time to review for the quiz.

c. As you study for the quiz, try to figure out which images would make good comparison/contrast questions, taking note of comparisons made in class. You may well anticipate a quiz's question, guaranteeing success. But even if you don't get the exact pair down, trying to figure out what would make a good comparison will get your mind working on the course's larger questions, preparing you to write well on any question.

Wright Laboratory of Physics: analyze the elevation of the Professor Street facade (1 page) cr/ne

Finney Chapel. Draw the ground-plan, and explain its individual parts. How are they related to each other, and how are they distinguished from each other. (2 pages) cr/ne

Visual Analysis of Bosworth Hall 3 pages details TBA

Four Short Essays in response to readings ()

These short essays (4-5 pages) address the readings discussed in class, and are to be handed in on the day of the discussion. You should not summarize the reading in any detail; instead, you should identify its fundamental issues, and offer a critical analysis of the author's treatment of the subject. If there is more than one reading, identify similarities and differences in their treatment of core issues. More specific suggestions will be given before each paper is due.

Five 1 page response papers ()

The response papers provide a low-pressure way to gauge your increasing grasp on the issues dealt with in class, helping insure successful performance on the higher-stakes written work. These one-page papers allow you (force you) to digest and react to readings in class. They coincide with a discussion of the article in class, thus serving as preparation for the discussion. Your papers should provide a very brief statement of the reading�0�10�0�110�0�10�0�1110�0�10�0�110�0�10�0�1128s most important theme and your reaction to it. Highlight areas you especially agree or disagree with, and suggest why. If the reading is especially complex, you may choose to focus on one particularly important aspect of it. Most response papers will receive a "check," which is just fine. Especially good ones will get a "check +." If you get more than one "check -," please come talk to me.

A final or research paper (Dec 19, 7PM)

You can either take an in-class final or write a final research paper. If you chose to write a research paper, you must work with me to find a suitable topic, and have it approved by November 23rd. If you chose the exam, you'll pick two questions to answer from the following list, only one of which can be from the meaning category. Your answers should draw on the lectures and the assigned readings for the course (both from the text books and the reserve readings). Additionally, it is essential to cite specific works, buildings, and/or authors in your reply. Your preparation will also benefit from re-reading all the papers you wrote for the class. You may bring one 4" by 6" note card of notes to class for each question, written on both sides. You will have 30 minutes for each essay. If you would like to suggest a topic, I would love to hear it.

Nota Bene: Getting the questions in advance and permission to bring notes to the final makes the exam more, not less, challenging.

1. Suger vs. Bernard

Suger and Bernard are our most important literary sources on the role of art in the 12th century. Each takes a very different view over art's place and justification. Discuss their positions individually, and compare them and contrast them to each other.

2. Sacred and Secular Ambitions in Medieval Architecture

Medieval architecture is usually described as spiritual, and all the churches we have studied in class were built for religious reasons. However, they were also vehicles for temporal ambitions and political statements. Write an essay describing the relationship between sacred and secular in medieval churches, noting that different beholders would see this relationship as complementary or antagonistic. Thus, you should take into account the standpoint of the architects who designed the buildings, the patrons who commissioned them, and--in the case of most cathedrals--the townspeople who helped pay for them.

3. The Meaning of Gothic

What did the style we call Gothic mean from the 12th to the 15th centuries? Does a Gothic church like Amiens mean different things than a Romanesque one like Saint Sernin in Toulouse? You should draw on the readings we did about style, about the interpretation of Gothic architecture, and in particular on the contemporary sources we read: Bernard, Suger, Gervase, Jandun, and Villard de Honnecourt.

4. What is a gothic cathedral? Your answer should take form, iconography, and function into account.

1. Monastery and Cathedral

Monasteries and the cathedrals were the chief venues for ambitious church architecture during the Middle Ages from c. 1000 to c. 1300. How are these two types of building complexes similar? How are they different? You should pay particular attention to the relationship of their function and audience to their form, and consider all their spaces--not just the church. Resist the temptation to equate monasteries with Romanesque architecture, and cathedrals with Gothic.

1. Engineering and Aesthetics

"The significance of Gothic architecture resides in its extraordinary integration of structural and aesthetic innovation" [S. Bonde, C. Maines, R. Mark, "Archaeology and engineering: the foundations of Amiens Cathedral"]. Comment on this statement, both what it includes and what it omits. You should illustrate your discussion with specific examples. You might note that Ribs and flying buttresses are two of the defining features of Gothic architecture. They are usually studied as structural elements, but they also make a major contribution to a building's appearance, so they have an aesthetic role as well. While your essay is focussed on Gothic architecture, it will help to cite Romanesque buildings for comparison and contrast. Lectures and readings

I take the honor code very seriously, and expect the same of my students. You should all be familiar with the honor code (available at http://www.oberlin.edu/students/links-life/rules-regs05/06honor_code.pdf), and expect your professors to describe its application on their syllabi. In particular, it is essential that you write and sign the honor code on all work you hand in for this class. The Honor Code reads: "I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code on this assignment."

Here�0�10�0�110�0�10�0�1110�0�10�0�110�0�10�0�1128s how each assignment works:

Short papers, visual analyses and response papers: I encourage you to share your work with other students, seeking their input, comments and corrections. However, the paper must be substantively your own. Others may suggest how you might better organize your paper; they may not re-draft it for you. The Honor Code must be written and signed on these assignments. If it is not, I will return the paper to you without entering a grade until you sign it and return it to me.

Quizzes: no notes, no consultation. The Honor Code must be written and signed on the quiz. If it is not,

I will return the quiz to you without entering a grade until you sign it and return it to me.

Final: No consultation during the final. You will be permitted to bring a limited number of notes to the final; details to be announced in the second half of the semester. The Honor Code must be written and signed on the quiz. If it is not, I will return the quiz to you without entering a grade until you sign it and return it to me.

If you have any confusion about how the honor code applies to various assignments, please feel free to see me.

POLICY ON INCOMPLETE WORK, LATE WORK, AND ABSENCES:

Incomplete work: All work must be complete to pass the class. Failure to complete any assignment will result in a no entry for the class.

Late work: Late work will be accepted only in case of true emergencies or by prior agreement with me. In other cases, work turned in late will be accepted, with half a grade deducted for every two days between the due date and the date it's handed in.

Absences: Since attendance and participation are an essential part of learning this material, repeated absences will be penalized, and may result in a no-entry for the course--even if all written work has been completed.

SCHEDULE

Two key resources:

The Grove Dictionary of Art

The Bibliography of the History of Art

Both are available in hard copy in the Art Library, and also available on-line through the libraries homepage. The DOA can be found under "specialized dictionaries, art," while the BHA is under "on-line databases, art." Both can be search very easily in their on-line incarnations, and should be your first and second stops in any research you're doing.

Some guides to medieval history:

C. Warren Hollister, Medieval Europe A Short History, New York, 1982.

---lively text, with suggested further readings.

Jean Leclercq, The Love of Learning and the Desire for God.

---classic study of medieval monasticism.

Maurice Keen, The Pelican History of Medieval Europe, London, 1968.

---a solid discussion of Europe in the years between 800 and 1500.

Richard Southern, The Making of the Middle Ages, New Haven and London, 1953.

---classic description of medieval civilization from c. 900 to c. 1200.

General Reference Works on the Middle Ages:

The Dictionary of the Middle Ages--multi-volume guide to all things medieval, with a good index and bibliography for individual entries.

Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium.

M. Brown, Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts.

J. McKenzie, Dictionary of the Bible, London and NY: 1965--a good one-volume guide to any questions you may have about the Bible. Entries include books (i.e. Psalms, Gospel of Mark), individuals (David, Peter) and a wide range of other topics (i.e. Music, Shepherds, Blindness).

The Anchor Bible, Doubleday--a massive annotated edition of the Bible, with one or two volumes for each book. If you are particularly interested in a biblical passage, and want to find what earlier writers have had to say about it, this is a good place to start your search.

Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend, translated from the Latin by W. G. Ryan, Princteon, 1993, 2 vols. ART REF--This standard collection of saints' lives, compiled in the thirteenth century and very popular throughout the later Middle Ages, is the first place to look if you have any questions about medieval saints.

Guides to Medieval Christian Iconography:

L. Réau, Iconographie de l'art chrétien, Paris, 1955.

G. Schiller, Iconography of Christian Art, London, 1971.

Documentary and Literary Sources about Medieval Art:

C. Mango, Art of the Byzantine Empire 312-1453.

C. Davis-Weyer, Early Medieval Art 300-1150.

T. G. Frisch, Gothic Art 1140-c. 1450 Sources and Documents.

W. Stechow, Northern Renaissance Art 1400-1600 Sources and Documents.

Atlases and Maps:

H. Kinder and W. Hilgemann, The Anchor Atlas of World History, vol. 1, From the Stone Age to the Eve of the French Revolution.

D. Matthew, Atlas of Medieval Europe.

F. van der Meer, Atlas of the Early Christian World.

C. McEvredy, Penguin Atlas of Medieval History.

Other Survey Books of Medieval Art:

R. Calkins, Monuments of Medieval Art.

M. Stokstad, Medieval Art. Has a useful glossary at the end.

Medieval Art in the United States:

Several American museums have good collections of medieval art. We are fortunate to live near the Cleveland Museum of Art, which has one of the best. Other strong collections include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Dumbarton Oaks (Washington DC), the Walters Art Gallery (Baltimore), and the J. Paul Getty Museum in LA (where the manuscript curator is an Oberlin alum). If you visit any of these cities, be sure to see the medieval art in their museums. The greatest concentration of medieval art in the United States is in New York; if you visit, be sure to see the Metropolitan Museum, its medieval branch uptown at The Cloisters, and the Morgan Library, which boasts the finest manuscript collection in America. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has published three general guides to the medieval works in their collections which you might wish to consult before, during or after your visit.

A Walk through the Cloisters.

Europe in the Middle Ages, New York, 1987.

The Renaissance in the North, New York, 1987.