Art History

About this course

This course will cover the period 1400 to 1700, a time in which the people of Europe were galvanised by the wish to live a more, godly, Christian life. This was the time of the Renaissance, of the Medici and of Savonorla. It was the age of Erasmus and Luther, of Christian Humanism and the upheaval of the Protestant Reformation. And it was the time of the Counter-Reformation, of the Spain of Philip II and of Holland in the so-called Golden Age. Some of the greatest of all artists lived during these tumultuous years and their work cannot understand apart from the religious conflicts of the time. In this course we shall be ranging widely across Europe. But an effort will also be made to develop an in depth understanding of the period by studying various key works. The way in which the patronage of the Medici influenced the arts of Fra Angelico and Botticelli and the character of the Sistine Chapel of Julius II, of Michelangelo and Raphael, will be examined. We shall study Holbein at the court of Henry VIII and Anthony van Dyck at that of Charles I. Special attention will be paid to Caravaggio, that seminal Baroque artist, and to Rembrandt and Vermeer. This is a time of profound religious changes, life and death conflicts and wonderful art. Come along and take a fresh look at the 16th and 17th c.!

In the summer we will do something completely different, namely, a course on non-European art and architecture. This will concentrate on the great products of Islam in Spain, Turkey and India but there will also be lessons on Japanese prints, the arts of Mesoamerica and African masks. Hopefully this will encourage you to appreciate some of the other great artistic traditions of the world.

An optional trip to the National Gallery, London, will be arranged.

Website: http://www.hillsroad.ac.uk/aeArtAndDesign.aspx http://www.hillsroad.ac.uk/aeArtAndDesign.aspx