MEDIEVAL ART & ARCHITECTURE in Spring 2024 (AH2012)

This course will survey highlights of the painting, sculpture, architecture,mosaics, tapestries, metalwork, ivories, and stained-glass windows of the Middle Ages in Europe and the Mediterranean. We will proceed in a chronological framework, starting with the beginnings of Christian art, and ending in the late Gothic period. Works of art will be studied in their historical, social, cultural, and religious contexts. Thematically, we will examine continuities and breaks with the classical tradition; the recurring issue of iconoclasm; the rich diversity of materials; the fruitful effects of cross-cultural and interfaith exchanges; and the global context and long afterlife of medieval art.