Course Description
Examination of the fusion of Greco-Roman traditions and new developments in the Mediterranean world. The emergence of new currents and two new religions, namely Christianity and Islam, is considered through discussion of monuments created not only in Europe, but also in Asia Minor, the Arabic Peninsula, and throughout North Africa.
Athena Title
Late Antique Art
Prerequisite
ARHI 2000 or ARHI 2000E or ARHI 2000H or ARHI 2300 or ARHI 2300E or ARHI 2311H or ARHI 2400 or ARHI 2400E or ARHI 2411H
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course intends to introduce students to a visual culture distinguished by the amalgamation of Greco-Roman, Hebrew, and Christian traditions, which ultimately led to the emergence of medieval art. Through case studies, students will develop the ability to recognize and describe cultural continuity and artistic innovation. They will acquire the knowledge that will enable them to analyze and interpret works of art and architecture in the context of the culture in which they were created. Furthermore, students will develop the skills to discern late antique values and ideas manifested in different forms such as city planning, architecture (ecclesiastic and domestic), painting, sculpture, and various forms of decorative art. By examining monuments of art created on three continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa), students will be encouraged to reassess certainly received notions about the Euro-centric nature of late antique visual culture.
Topical Outline
The material discussed in this class relates to eight general topics and features works of different kinds, among them: religious and secular buildings, architecture for active defense/fortifications, city planning, sculpture, monumental painting (mosaics and frescos), ivory carving, panel painting, tapestry weave and elaborate clothing, silversmithing, jewelry, and glyptic art (carved precious and semi-precious stones). Each of the eight general topics will dominate the conversation in this class for approximately two weeks. 1) The late Roman Empire and the Tetrarchy. Emperor Diocletian’s Administrative Reform and the proliferation of imperial capital cities throughout Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa. Palaces, mausolea, circuses, and grand public baths—the eternal city of Rome and its many copies. The meaning of urban plans and the symbolism of the city context. 2) Tetrarchic art: deterioration of artistic expertise and standards or the birth of a new potent visual idiom? The arts of the masses and of the patrician elite. Fourth- and fifth-century anti-Christian sentiments and patrician self-esteem expressed through artistic refinement that is Greco-Roman in spirit and appearance. 3) Constantinople as the New Rome, or the Second Rome. New city plans and new building plans for the religion of Christianity. Inventing a paragon for a Christian metropolis and a model for a church. The Constantinian five-aisle basilica was a statement of bringing Christianity into the imperial fold. Constantine’s foundations in the Holy Land—new sacred topography for the empire of Rome. 4) Floor and wall mosaics: the earthly realm and the heavenly world. Tesserae (mosaic cubes) made of naturally colored stone vs. glass tesserae featuring bright colors as well as gold and silver. The meaning of the architectural space (floors vs. vaults and domes), and the symbolism of the natural and man-made artistic medium. 5) The art and ritual of formal dining. Social customs are shared by pagans and Christians and the visual language celebrates and explains them. Pagan themes in the secular art commissioned by Christians and the emergence of a new form of secular Christian art. Luxury clothing for Christians with sacred images—“garments pleasing God” or statements of “utmost vanity”? 6) At the threshold of the Holy. Icons/divine images as windows into the heavenly world. Christian devotional art and the pagan tradition—likenesses of pagan deities, funerary portraits, and the depictions of ancient philosophers. Encaustic painting technique and the engagement of all five of the senses in acts of icon veneration—“the sensual icon.” 7) The rise of Islam: A second new religion (after Christianity) in the late antique Mediterranean world. The beginning of official Islamic art and architecture and its sources in late antique visual culture. Triumphal monuments and places of worship. The Islamic Umayyad Caliphate was one of the three heirs of the Roman Empire, along with Byzantium and the Roman Church with the kingdoms of Western Europe. 8) Iconoclasm. The power of images and the dangers of idolatry. The end of Late Antiquity and the dawn of the medieval era. The impact of Islam on the visual culture of the eastern Mediterranean region. The arguments of the enemies and of the defenders of icons. The emergence of a new theory of images—the philosophic writings of St. John of Damascus and his place in the intellectual tradition between Plato, Aristotle, and the Leon Battista Alberti.