Art: Prehistory to Medieval

Catalog description

This course introduces students to visual art and architecture from prehistory to the medieval era with a focus on art from Europe, North Africa, and the near East. The course will further consider global interactions involving these regions. Surveys the major monuments, styles, artists, and historical periods of painting, sculpture and architecture from this era. In addition to formal and technical analysis, the course explicitly examines artworks using a philosophical, historical, literary, aesthetic, religious and cultural lens. It invites students to interpret artworks in relation to contemporary texts, ritual contexts, religious beliefs, literary narratives, and political histories. The course encourages philosophic and aesthetic questioning (What is art? What counts as sacred vs. secular imagery?), comparative cultural analysis, and reflection on the social roles of art.