ARTH 213: Art of the Northern Renaissance

Professor: Monica Dominguez

(MonicaDT@UDel.edu)

Teaching Assistant: Stephanie Lambe

(slambe@UDel.Edu)

Lecture Hours: TR 2:00-3:15 pm

Lecture Hall: WHL006

Office Hours: R 1-2 or by appointment

Office Location: 118A Old College

Course Description

This course surveys the artistic developments in Northern Europe around 1350-1600, from their late medieval foundations to the art of the early modern cities. Pieces by Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Albrecht Dürer, Hieronymus Bosch, Hans Holbein, and Pieter Bruegel, among others, will be discussed within the context of contemporary working conditions, artistic patronage, courtly life, religious climate, and scientific developments. The course will explore major cultural and historic events such as the Protestant Reformation and the discovery of the Americas, and will look at how these events widened intellectual and religious horizons. The works range from tapestries, altarpieces and illuminated manuscripts to churches, palaces and civic architecture.

Textbook

Jeffrey Chipps Smith, The Northern Renaissance (Art and Ideas Series), Phaidon Press, 2004.

Calendar

Feb 6 Introduction

Reading: Smith, pp. 4-12

Feb 8, 13 The beholder’s eye: Art, artists and the marketplace

Reading: Smith, pp. 13-32

ARTstor images: Beholder

Feb 15 Documentaries “Pictures as things” and “The materials of faith” from the series Making masterpieces (BBC production in association with The National Gallery, London, 1997)

ARTstor images: Documentary

Feb 20, 22 An emerging reality: Court art and the ars nova

Reading: Smith, pp. 33-66

ARTstor images: Reality

Feb 27, Mar 1 Pride of place: Art in the cities

Reading: Smith, pp. 67-92

ARTstor images: Pride

Mar 6, 8 Tangible success: Early portraits and domestic art

Reading: Smith, pp. 93-118

ARTstor images: Portraits

Mar 13 First Exam

Mar 15, 20 The inner gaze: Private devotional art

Reading: Smith, pp. 119-146

ARTstor images: Private

Mar 22, Apr 3 The well-dressed church: The materialization of faith

Reading: Smith, pp. 147-196

ARTstor images: Church

Apr 5, 10 Dancing with death: The art of dying well

Reading: Smith, pp. 197-238

ARTstor images: Death

Apr 12 Mass communication: Prints and printmaking

Reading: Smith, pp. 239-272

ARTstor images: Prints

Apr 17, 19 Beyond mere craft: The knowledgeable artist

Reading: Smith, pp. 273-308

ARTstor images: Artist

Apr 24, 26 Theatre of the World: Exploring nature and human nature

Reading: Smith, pp. 309-350

ARTstor images: Nature

May 1, 3 Reading pictures: The Reformation challenge

Reading: Smith, pp. 351-380

ARTstor images: Reformation

May 8, 10 The artist and the connoisseur: Courts, cities and collectors

Reading: Smith, pp. 381-408

ARTstor images: Courts

May 15 Second Exam

Grading

· There will be two (2) exams throughout the term, each worth 30%. See dates in the calendar above.

· There will also be a short research paper worth 30%. Deadline: May 1, 2007

· The remaining 10% of the final grade would be assessed taking into account attendance and class participation.

To see the grade scale used in this course click here

Research Resources

Reference books at Morris Library:

· Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art (New York, 2005)

· Sarah Carr-Gomm, The dictionary of symbols in western art (New York, 1995)

· Irene Earls, Renaissance art: a topical dictionary (New York, 1987)

· James Hall, Dictionary of subjects and symbols in art (various editions)

· Matilde Battistini & Stephen Sartarelli, Symbols and allegories in art (Los Angeles, 2005)

· Rosa Giorgi & Stefano Zuffi, Angels and demons in art (Los Angeles, 2005)

· Chiara de Capoa & Stefano Zuffi, Old Testament figures in art (Los Angeles, 2003)

· Stefano Zuffi, Gospel figures in art (Los Angeles, 2003)

· Rosa Giorgi, Stefano Zuffi & Thomas M. Hartmann, Saints in art (Los Angeles, 2003)

· Lucia Impelluso, Stefano Zuffi & Thomas M. Hartmann, Gods and heroes in art (Los Angeles, 2003)

· Lucia Impelluso, Nature and its symbols (Los Angeles, 2004)

· Erika Langmuir, The Yale dictionary of art and artists (New Haven, 2000)

· Peter and Linda Murray, The Penguin Dictionary of Art and Artists (various editions)

Books in reserve at Morris Library:

·        Harbison, Craig. The mirror of the artist: northern Renaissance art in its historical context.. New York, NY: H.N. Abrams, 1995.

·        Snyder, James. Northern Renaissance art: painting, sculpture, the graphic arts from 1350 to 1575. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005.

·        Stechow, Wolfgang (ed.). Northern Renaissance art, 1400-1600: sources and documents. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 1989.

Image Databases

· ARTstor (requires an UDel proxy connection)

· Google Image Search

· Web Gallery of Art

Reference Resources

· Art History Resources on the Web: Renaissance Art in Northern Europe and Spain

· The Grove Dictionary of Art (requires an UDel proxy connection)

· The Catholic Encyclopedia

· Britannica Online (requires an UDel proxy connection)

· Biography Resource Center (requires an UDel proxy connection)

· Roman Catholic Saints by Name