HAU33003 Painting and Sculpture in 17th Century Europe
This module examines painting and sculpture at European courts in the seventeenth century, paying particular attention to works produced in papal Rome and the courts of Brussels, London, Madrid and Paris.
- Module Organiser:
- Dr Peter Cherry
- Duration:
- Semester 1
- Contact Hours:
- 2 lectures pw; 1 seminar per fortnight
- Weighting:
- 10 ECTS
- Assessment:
- Essay, project and visual analysis exercise
- Course open to:
[M=mandatory; O= optional]- Single Honors (O), Joint Honors (O), AMHC (O), Art History as a minor (O), visiting (O);
The relationship of artists and their patrons is examined. The development and function of religious art in a Counter-Reformation context is studied in depth in the work of such artists as Caravaggio, Bernini and Rubens. Also included is a detailed account of evolving stylistic debates around the values of classicism during the period. The use of portraiture and mythology in the projection of courtly and royal ideals will be analyzed through the works of Velasquez, among others. Close attention will be paid to the rise of secular art in the seventeenth century in the form of genre, still life, and landscape painting.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
- identify the major works of a selected number of painters and sculptors in Rome, Paris and Antwerp during the period c.1580-c.1700.
- analyze key trends in style, artistic practice and patronage at different historical points and in different artistic centres over the period
- explain the function and meaning of a range of types of visual art and imagery in different cultural contexts over the period
- engage critically with texts, methodologies and scholarly debates which have shaped art-historical interpretations of the period
- interpret visual and written evidence to formulate informed, contextual analyses of visual art of the period
- defend an argument in response to a specific question in written and oral presentations, using concrete examples of works of art