Course Description
Study of the importance and function of color in ancient Mediterranean art and culture from the Bronze Age (3000 BC) to the end of Classical Antiquity (AD 330). Topics include artistic materials and techniques, languages of color, ancient color theory, and the reception of color (or lack thereof) on ancient artworks. Critical methodological issues, recent archaeological discoveries, and ongoing debates are highlighted.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required to produce a detailed
research paper on a chosen topic or theme. The paper will
demonstrate appropriately advanced research skills and
engagement with the rich critical apparatus of art historical
scholarship, including the ability to read the relevant
literature in foreign languages.
Athena Title
COLOR ANC ART
Prerequisite
(Two ARHI 3000-level courses and POM) or two from CLAS 1000 or CLAS 1000H or CLAS 1010 or CLAS 1010H or CLAS 1020 or CLAS 1020H or CLAS 2000
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This interdisciplinary course offers a critical examination of color and materiality in ancient art. Students learn how to visually analyze color, weigh different forms of textual and archaeological evidence in its assessment, and apply different methodologies in art historical research. Direct object study is emphasized to develop the visual skill of connoisseurship and the technical appreciation of ancient art as artifact. Students from a wide variety of backgrounds – art history, fine arts, classical philology, and the natural sciences (chemistry, geology, physics, etc.) – are encouraged to develop research on color based on their backgrounds and experience. Students give illustrated class presentations, write a research paper on a topic selected in consultation with the teacher, and demonstrate their skills in two written examinations covering the lectures, class discussion, and assigned readings.
Topical Outline
I: Historical Introduction: Chromophobia and Western Aesthetics II: Describing Color and Color Theory III: The Materials and Techniques of Color IV: Color and Materiality in the Bronze Age: Egypt and the Near East V: Color and Materiality in the Bronze Age: Mediterranean Exchange VI: Archaic Greek Art: Painting, Architecture, Sculpture VII: Classical Greek Painting: The Role of the Artist VIII: Late Classical and Hellenistic Painting: The State of the Evidence IX: Aegean: Neolithic X: Color in Roman Art: White Marble, Painting, and Golden Images XI: Color Coding and the Semantic System of Roman Art XII: Color and Culture in Late Antiquity and Christianity XIII: Seeing Antiquity in Color