CH2910/3910 —

Introduction to Early Christian Art and Architecture

1st semester Wednesday morning (Min. No. 6)

Content

This unit studies the origins and growth of Christian art by exploring ways in which liturgy and devotions in the early church found expression in visual culture. Themes and topics to be presented will include: the art of the catacombs; the centrality of monasticism and of the city of Constantinople in Eastern Christianity; the mosaics of Ravenna and Rome; the emergence of new art forms such as the icon; the iconoclastic controversy; the impact of Byzantine art and architecture in the medieval West e.g. Monreale in Norman Sicily and San Marco in Venice.

Prerequisites

Level 2: At least one unit in Church History

Level 3: One unit in Church History at level two

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. identify the central iconographic themes of Early Christian and Byzantine art
2. demonstrate ability to use vocabulary of visual analysis and historical inquiry in written communication at a more advanced level
3. demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the various lenses (historical, ideological, spiritual) through which the interpreter views visual images
4. critically analyse a variety of methodological perspectives of art historical scholarship.

Assessment

Level 2: 1500 word short paper on an approved topic (20%); one hour slide exam (30%); 2500 word research essay (50%)

Level 3: 1500 word short paper on an approved topic (20%); one hour slide exam (30%); 3500 word research essay (50%)

Bibliography

* = set texts recommended for purchase

Cormack, Robin. Writing in Gold: Byzantine Society and Its Icons. London: George Philip, 1985.

______. Byzantine Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Grabar, André. Christian Iconography: A Study of Its Origins. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1980.

Jensen, Robin M. Understanding Early Christian Art. London: Routledge, 2000.

*Lowden, John. Early Christian and Byzantine Art. London: Phaidon, 1997.

Safran, Linda, ed. Heaven on Earth. Art and the Church in Byzantium. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2002.

Spier, Jeffrey, ed. Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007.

Lecturer

Claire Renkin