Topics Medieval Art

Catalog description

This course examines medieval art and architecture of France through an exploration of the monuments and moments that define our understanding of the period. The course moves from the Early Christian Church to late Gothic to help students gain an understanding of medieval France through an analysis of monuments in their historic and cultural contexts. From the portals of Notre-Dame of Paris to the collections of the Musée de Cluny, we will seek to decode the symbolic language of medieval sculpture and architecture. Pairing texts and monuments, we will consider the writings of authors such as the Abbot Suger as we inspect his church of Saint-Denis, or as we study liturgical objects in the collections of the Louvre. Throughout the course we will consider how visual art during the Middles Ages helped shape cultural identity and express the political and religious agendas of the age. The course ends with a study of E.E. Viollet-le-Duc’s work during the 19th century, together with his legacy and role in constructing our notions of medieval art and architecture. Conducted in English.