ARTS 320 LATE MEDIEVAL ART FALL 2003

Erik Inglis

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Office hours: Tu: 9:00-11:00, Wed 2-3:30, and by apptment.

OBJECTIVES:

Studying the major figures and themes from European art north of the Alps from c. 1300 to c. 1480, we will examine: how late medieval art develops from earlier art, the various roles played by images, the increasing importance of secular art, and the changing status of the artist. The survey has two goals:

I. to introduce the major monuments of the period;

II. through the knowledge of these works, to enable you to understand and appreciate works you may see when visiting museums, libraries, churches, etc. After taking this course, when you see a work of art which was not mentioned in the class, you will be able to:

determine its date and place of origin,

understand its iconography and function,

compare it to similar works covered in class.

TEXTBOOK:

There will be readings for most classes from James Snyder's Northern Renaissance Art (New York, 1985), which I recommend purchasing. Snyder also contains all the images you are responsible for learning for quizzes.

ADDITIONAL READING:

The assigned readings in Snyder cover the basic facts about the major works of late medieval art on which the class is based. I have assigned a variety of readings to supplement the textbook. Several texts are contemporary to the works of art at hand. Others are important articles or chapters of books which expand upon issues discussed in class. In addition to being valuable studies in their own right, these articles exemplify many different approaches to art history, from stylistic analysis, to iconographic studies, to broader contextual interpretations. All are on the COURSE RESERVE. (NB: Feel free to skip the footnotes in these articles, which will save you a lot of time.) All Biblical readings should be done from the Douay-Rheims Bible, which is the English translation closest to Jerome's Latin translation, the Vulgate, which was used throughout the Middle Ages. You can use the on-line versions at http://www.scriptours.com/Bible/ or http://cybercomm.net/~dcon/drbible.html

LOOKING ASSIGNMENTS:

There are countless works of art still extant from this period, so that no course could cover them all. For several lectures, I have given a looking assignment, a richly-illustrated book you should flip through casually to get a feel for the breadth and variety of northern Renaissance art. All are on the COURSE RESERVE, mostly Open Reserve.

GRADE:

Your grade will be based on the following assignments (described in greater length in separate handouts):

1 debate paper 20% 1 Research Paper 35%

Participation 10% 6 response papers: check +, check, check -

ASSIGNMENTS:

Each quiz will last approximately 15 minutes. You will be asked to identify images covered in class and in the reading, suggest identifications for unknowns, and write brief essays about individual works based on the readings, lectures, and discussions. The second quiz may include a comparison and contrast question, with one of the works drawn from material covered in the first half of the semester.

The response papers provide a low-pressure way to gauge your increasing grasp on the issues dealt with in class, helping insure successful performance on the higher-stakes written work. These one-page papers allow you (force you) to digest and react to readings in class. They coincide with discussions in class, thus serving as preparation for the discussion. Your papers should provide a very brief statement of the reading?s most important theme and your reaction to it. If the reading is an scholarly argument, highlight areas you especially agree or disagree with, and suggest why. If it is an original source, note what seems especially important to you. If the reading is especially complex, you may choose to focus on one particularly important aspect of it. Most response papers will receive a "check," which is just fine. Especially good ones will get a "check +." If you get more than one "check -," please come talk to me. These papers make a modest contribution to your participation grade, which serves as a sort of tie-breaker.

You are to pick two oil paintings in the Allen, painted in Northern Europe between 1400 and 1550. Your paper should give a concise analysis of each piece (1 page per picture max), and then explore their stylistic similarities and differences, including topics like: paint handling, composition, depiction of space, depiction of humans, etc. The goal of the paper is to grasp the unique features of Northern European painting in the Late Middle Ages. If you have never written a visual analysis, please see me for advice.

A major debate among art historians of this period is how pictures create meaning. Some art historians prioritize words, deriving an image's meaning from texts it was believed to illustrate. Other art historians make bolder claims for images as independent from texts, and derived an image's meaning from the relationship it establishes with an observer. We will be discussing important examples of these approaches on Oct 29 and 31. Your paper should set out the clashing views, critique each side, and explain why you find one or the other more persuasive.

This paper will address an important topic to be selected with my help. Some suggestions are: a paper on a single work of art, competition between manuscripts and printed books, the role of art in devotion, the increasing prominence of secular art, the rising status of the artist, etc. You may write about a work featured in one of your other papers, which would allow you to build on your earlier work. Your paper should deal with its topic in a sophisticated way, emulating the approach and ambitions in the articles assigned in this class. I recommend that you talk to me about your topic before committing to it, so that I can suggest relevant works of art, useful bibliography, etc. If you have never written a research paper, it is essential to your success that you consult with me.

Your paper must use at least 8 sources other than the text book. Internet sources should be used only with extreme caution, as most are vile. Rather than Google, here are three good places to begin your research:

I. the bibliography for this class, both in the assigned readings and the additional suggestions.

II. The Dictionary of Art, available in the Reference section of the Art library and on-line through the Library's website.

III. You can survey recent art historical writings by using two bibliographical search tools:

A. Bibliography of the History of Art

B. Art Abstracts

Both are available on-line by going to the Library's Home Page and looking at the on-line databases. If you would like guidance in using these resources, you should consult Barbara Prior, the Art Librarian.

POLICY ON INCOMPLETE WORK, LATE WORK, AND ABSENCES:

Incomplete work: All work must be complete to pass the class. Failure to complete any assignment will result in a no entry for the class.

Late work: All work is due at the beginning of class on the assigned day. Assignments due on days when the class does not meet are due at 4:30. Late work will be accepted without penalty only in cases of true emergency or by prior agreement with me. In other cases, work turned in late will be accepted, with half a grade deducted for every day between the due date and the date it's handed in.

Absences: Since attendance and participation are essential to learning this material, repeated absences will be penalized, and may result in a no-entry for the course--even if all written work has been completed. I will take roll at various times during the class.

I take the honor code very seriously, and expect the same of my students. You should all be familiar with the honor code (available at http://www.oberlin.edu/~stlife/Honor_Code/Honor_Code.html), and expect your professors to describe its application on their syllabi. In particular, it is essential that you write and sign the honor code on all work you hand in for this class. The Honor Code reads: "I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code on this assignment."

Here?s how each assignment works:

Visual analyses, response papers and debate paper: I encourage you to share your work with other students, seeking their input, comments and corrections. However, the paper must be substantively your own. Others may suggest how you might better organize your paper; they may not re-draft it for you. The Honor Code must be written and signed on these assignments. If it is not, I will return the paper to you without entering a grade until you sign it and return it to me.

Quizzes: no notes, no consultation. The Honor Code must be written and signed on the quiz. If it is not, I will return the quiz to you without entering a grade until you sign it and return it to me.

Research Paper: You must cite all your sources in academically formatted footnotes. For guidelines to acceptable practices, see the brief outline Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing about Art, 6th edition, (New York, Longman, 2000), or the extensive version in the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition (Chicago, 1993) or 15th edition (Chicago, 2003), all available in the Art Library and/or Mudd reference section.

OTHER BIBLIOGRAPHY

General Reference Works:

The Dictionary of the Middle Ages.

multi-volume guide to all things medieval, with a good index and bibliography for individual entries.

Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium.

M. Brown, Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts.

J. McKenzie, Dictionary of the Bible, London and NY: 1965.

a good one-volume guide to any questions you may have about the Bible. Entries include books (i.e. Psalms, Gospel of Mark), individuals (David, Peter) and a wide range of other topics (i.e. Music, Shepherds, Blindness).

The Anchor Bible, Doubleday.

a massive annotated edition of the Bible, with one or two volumes for each book. If you are particularly interested in a biblical passage and want to find what earlier writers have had to say about it, this is a good place to start your search.

Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend, translated from the Latin by W. G. Ryan, Princeton, 1993, 2 vols.. Art Library Ref.

This standard collection of saints' lives, compiled in the thirteenth century and very popular throughout the later Middle Ages, is the first place to look if you have any questions about medieval saints.

Guides to Christian Iconography:

L. Réau, Iconographie de l'art chrétien, Paris, 1955.

G. Schiller, Iconography of Christian Art, London, 1971.

Contemporary Sources about Late Medieval/Northern Renaissance Art:

T. G. Frisch, Gothic Art 1140-c. 1450 Sources and Documents.

W. Stechow, Northern Renaissance Art 1400-1600 Sources and Documents.

---Stechow taught at Oberlin; the Print Study Room in the AMAM is named for him.

I. Ragusa, R. Green, trans., Meditations on the Life of Christ.

---a late medieval text with pictures which provides an excellent example of contemporary devotional attention to the events of Christ's life.

Other Survey Books of Northern Renaissance Art:

C. Cuttler, From Van Eyck to Bruegel.

M. Friedlander, Early Netherlandish Painting, English translation, NY, 1967-76.

---14-volume illustrated catalogue of the major Netherlandish artists, arranged by artist. Excellent reference work, and great to flip through.

E. Panofsky, Early Netherlandish Painting, Cambridge, 1953.

---though parts of it are dated, the book is still fundamental; much of the work in the last 4 decades has been in reaction to this book. Plus, Panofsky's a great writer (check out the reference to Steinbeck on p. 53).

Northern Renaissance Art in the United States:

Several American museums have good collections. We are fortunate to live near the Cleveland Museum of Art, which has one of the best. Other strong collections include the National Gallery (DC), the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Walters Art Gallery (Baltimore), and the J. Paul Getty Museum in LA (where the manuscript curator is an Oberlin alum). If you visit any of these cities, be sure to see these collections.

The greatest concentration of Northern Renaissance art in the United States is in New York; if you visit, be sure to see the Metropolitan Museum, its medieval branch uptown at The Cloisters (home of the Mérode altar), and the Morgan Library, which boasts the finest manuscript collection in America. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has published three general guides to the medieval works in their collections which you might wish to consult before, during or after your visit.

A Walk through the Cloisters.

Europe in the Middle Ages, New York, 1987.

The Renaissance in the North, New York, 1987.

Some guides to late medieval and Northern Renaissance history:

Johann Huizinga, The Waning of the Middle Ages A Study of the Forms of Life, Thought and Art in France and the Netherlands in the XIVth and XVth Centuries, New York, 1924.

---the classic work on its period. A bit dated, but packed with information and well-written.

C. Warren Hollister, Medieval Europe A Short History, New York, 1982.

---lively text, with suggested further readings.

Maurice Keen, The Pelican History of Medieval Europe, London, 1968.

---a solid discussion of Europe in the years between 800 and 1500.

Richard Southern, The Making of the Middle Ages, New Haven and London, 1953.

---classic description of medieval civilization from c. 900 to c. 1200. A little earlier than our period, but still relevant, especially the final chapter "From Epic to Romance."

Atlases and Maps:

H. Kinder and W. Hilgemann, The Anchor Atlas of World History, vol. 1, From the Stone Age to the Eve of the French Revolution.

D. Matthew, Atlas of Medieval Europe.

C. McEvredy, Penguin Atlas of Medieval History.