Art, Power and the Laity in the Medieval West(VS1) (U03075)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : ACE-4-HMedWest

This course looks at aspects of medieval 'art' or, in broader terms, visual culture in relation to secular society. Most surviving medieval art was made for the church; its subject-matter is usually religious and it looks at the secular world from a clerical point of view. The course aims to redress the balance by exploring art that reveals something of the outlook and concerns of lay-men and lay-women of different classes and nations. The works of art examined will range in date from c. 800 to the first half of the 14th century and examples will be drawn from Britain, France, Germany and Italy. Much of the course is concerned with works of art and architecture commissioned by the rich and powerful, by emperors, kings and aristocrats, to buttress their authority, for the good of their souls, or for their amusement. The representation of power, authority and political ideas is an important strand. Recurring questions are how, and how far, the visual arts of the time expressed the interests or ideology of the patrons. How, if at all, are changes in the visual arts related to changes in society, for example a shift from a primarily military aristocracy to a more courtly aristocratic culture? The growth in the size and importance of towns and, in Italy, the emergence of assertive and self-conscious mercantile city states lead to new types of artistic patronage and are accompanied by new developments in the visual arts. The course investigates the depictions of various groups in society: rulers, aristocrats, peasants, women, and outsiders (Jews, heretics, blacks). Other topics may include: the growing importance of secular artists; illustrated books made for the laity; the development of the book of hours to cater for lay devotion, especially that of women; religious and devotional imagery aimed at secular audiences; and the down-to-earth, sometimes obscene imagery in the margins of books or in peripheral sculpture.

Entry Requirements

? This course is only available to part year visiting students.

? This course is a variant of the following course : U01138

? Pre-requisites : Equivalent of History of Art 1 and 2

Subject Areas

Home subject area

History of Art, (School of Arts, Culture and Environment, Schedule A)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 4th year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

? Additional Class Information : Seminars will take place on Mondays 1400-1550 and 1610-1800. Students to attend one of these.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

This final year course aims to give students an insight into the role of the visual arts for medieval secular society, into the visual representation of power and political ideas and into the patronage and reception of the visual arts by members of the laity. The course is built around a series of seminars to which students contribute on a regular basis and two pieces of written work. Students are expected to explore the social, ideological and political implications of the imagery, objects and monuments under discussion and to develop a critical awareness of different theoretical approaches to this material taken by art historians and historians. They are also encouraged to look beyond what is specifically covered in seminars, both in their reading and by going to public lectures and seminars and meetings of learned societies on themes related to the course. More generally, the course offers students an opportunity to develop their visual skills as well as their skills in assessing the arguments in the literature in this field and in constructing and presenting their own arguments, both in writing and orally, in their essay and seminar work.