ARTH213: Art of the Northern Renaissance

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Course Description | Textbook | Calendar | Grading | Research Resources | ARTstor

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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.

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Textbook

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

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Calendar

Sep 7	Introduction
	Reading: Smith, pp. 4-12
Sep 12, 14	The Beholder’s Eye: Art, Artists and the Marketplace
	Reading: Smith, pp. 13-32
	ARTstor images: Beholder
Sep 19, 21	An Emerging Reality: Court Art and the ars nova
	Reading: Smith, pp. 33-66
	ARTstor images: Reality
Sep 26, 28	Pride of Place: Art in the Cities
	Reading: Smith, pp. 67-92
	ARTstor images: Pride
Oct 3, 5	Tangible Success: Early Portraits and Domestic Art
	Reading: Smith, pp. 93-118
	ARTstor images: Portraits
Oct 10	First Exam
Oct 12, 17	The Inner Gaze: Private Devotional Art
	Reading: Smith, pp. 119-146
	ARTstor images: Private
Oct 19, 24	The Well-Dressed Church: The Materialization of Faith
	Reading: Smith, pp. 147-196
	ARTstor images: Church
Oct 26, 31	Dancing with Death: The Art of Dying Well
	Reading: Smith, pp. 197-238
	ARTstor images: Death
Nov 2, 7	Mass Communication: Prints and Printmaking
	Reading: Smith, pp. 239-272
	ARTstor images: Prints
Nov 9	Second Exam
Nov 14, 16	Theatre of the World: Exploring Nature and Human Nature
	Reading: Smith, pp. 309-350
	ARTstor images: Nature
Nov 21	Reading Pictures: The Reformation Challenge
	Reading: Smith, pp. 351-380
	ARTstor images: Reformation
Nov 28, 30	Beyond Mere Craft: The Knowledgeable Artist
	Reading: Smith, pp. 273-308
	ARTstor images: Artist
Dec 5	The Artist and the Connoisseur: Courts, Cities and Collectors
	Reading: Smith, pp. 381-408
	ARTstor images: Courts
Dec 7	Third Exam

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Grading

· There will be three (3) exams throughout the term, each worth 20%. See dates in the calendar above.

· There will also be a short research paper worth 30%. Deadline: Nov 21, 2011. Instructions are found in the assignments section of Sakai.

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

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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.

· Nash, Susie. Northern Renaissance Art. London: Oxford University Press, 2008.

· 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 connection from the UD network or UDel proxy connection)

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

Reference Resources

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

· The Catholic Encyclopedia

· Britannica Online (requires an UDel proxy connection)

· Roman Catholic Saints by Name