5 Session Module

History of Religious Imagery in Western Art
ART 386, Brescia University

Course Description:
The course is an examination of the origins and migration of religious icons and imagery found in Western European art. Major themes, motifs, and symbols will be identified and researched in an attempt to discern their meaning, development, and points of origin. Romanesque and Gothic Art represent an apex in the culmination of Christian iconography and design. Some of the developments were contemporary innovations of these periods, however, most lead back to ancient, classical, and tribal sources. Students will carefully examine how these images evolved into sculpture, painting, and architectural monuments.

Required Texts:
Ladner, Gerhart B. God, Cosmos, and Humankind. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.
Stokstad, Marilyn. Medieval Art. New York: Harper & Row Publisher, 1986.
Prerequisite: Art 180 or permission of instructor.

Course Objective:
The objective of this course is for the student to develop an understanding of the iconographical meaning and development of Christian art in Western Europe. It is an objective for the student to comprehend the sequential history of the art, as well as the adaptations and innovations that contributed to evolution of the image. Students will incorporate an ability to intellectually discern the intrinsic meaning of various monuments and also identify cultural influences.

Course Outline:

Part One One: Historical Beginning, Numerology, The Garden,
An introduction to the early developments in Christian Art beginning with the catacomb images and leading through the imperial influence up until the collapse of Rome. Numerology, symbols and icons, and creation imagery will be examined.

Part Two: Early Images of Christ. The early images of Christ are the major theme of discussion. Students will follow the development of the image of Christ as a symbol and a man.

Part Three: The Passion, Christian Eschatology. Students will learn about the visual meaning of some of the most powerful images in Christian Art. Included among these images are the passion series, the Last Judgment, the Majestas Domini, Agnus Dei, and the hierarchy of angels. In addition, to the theme analysis, students will continue to examine the developments in art from the barbarian invasion up until the Romanesque Period.

Part Four: The Western Tympanum. Students will examine the imagery and symbolic meaning of the sculptural reliefs found upon the western façade of the church, abbey, and cathedral.

Part Five: The Church and the Cathedral. Students will exam the imagery, design, and architectural elements of the church. The progression of the art and architecture of the Romanesque and Early Gothic Periods will be addressed in this last session.

Assignments and Essays
1. Pre-assignment 5%
2. Saint research. 15%
3. Cathedral research. 15%
4. Symbolism Notebook. 15%
5. Five in class essays 50%

Reading Assignments
Reading Assignment 1 (to be completed prior to the first class session)
God, Cosmos, and Humankind
Introduction (p 1-10)
Chapter 1. The Incarnation (p 11-19)
Chapter 3. The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (p 30-34)
Chapter 6. Creation Symbolism from the Book of Genesis to Augustine (p 65-88)
Chapter 8. Symbolism of the Cosmos and of Numbers(p 99-114)
Medieval Art
Chapter 1. Art in the First Centuries of the Christian Era (p 1-17)
Chapter 2. The Art of the Triumphant Christian Church (p 18-48)

Reading Assignment 2 (to be completed prior to the second class session)
God, Cosmos, and Humankind
Chapter 4. Mary-- Virgin and Mother of God (p 35-37)
Chapter 7. Symbolism of the Divine Unity and of the Hierarchies in Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (p 89-98)
Medieval Art
Chapter 3. The Golden Age of Byzantium (p 49-77)
Chapter 4. Barbarian Art (p 78-106)
Chapter 5. Carolingian Art (p 107-131)

Reading Assignment 3 (to be completed prior to the third class session)
God, Cosmos, and Humankind
Chapter 5. Eschatology According to the New Testament and the Sibylline Oracles (p 38-61)
Chapter 12. The Christian Roman Empire in Relationship to the Kingdom
of God (p 201-212)
Medieval Art
Chapter 6. Art Outside the Carolingian Empire (p 132-177)
Chapter 7. The Imperial Tradition (p 178-218)

Reading Assignment 4 (to be completed prior to the fourth class session)
God, Cosmos, and Humankind
Chapter 2. The Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ (p 20-29)
Medieval Art
Chapter 8. Romanesque Art in Western Europe (p 219-264)

Reading Assignment 5 (to be completed prior to the fifth class session)
God, Cosmos, and Humankind
Chapter 13. Church, Liturgy, and Sacraments (p 213-253)
and page 258 on name abbreviation
Medieval Art
Chapter 9. The Origins of Gothic Style (p 265-291)

Bibliography:
Armi, C. Edson, The 'Headmaster' of Chartres and the Origins of 'Gothic' Sculpture. Pennsylvania State Univ. Press, 1994.
Benton, Janetta R.. Holy Terrors: Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings. Abbeville Press, Inc., 1997.
Book of Kells. NY: Knopf, 1980.
Carra', Massimo, Ivories of the West. Middlesex, England: Hamlyn Publishing,1970.
The Catholic Encyclopedia. NY: Encyclopedia Press Inc., 1910.
Ferguson, George, Signs and Symbols in Christian Art. NY: Oxford University Press, 1967.
Gough, Michael, Origins of Christian Art. NY: Praeger Publishers, 1973.
Grabar, Andre, Early Christian Art. NY: Odyssey Press, 1968.
Grabar, Andre', Early Medieval Painting from the Fourth to the Eleventh Century. NY: Skira, 1957.
Grubb, Nancy, Angels in Art. Artabras, 1995.
Henkel, Kathryn, The Apocalypse. Washington, DC: Museum Press, 1973.
The Horizon Book of Great Cathedral, Jay Jacobs, editor. NY: American Heritage Publishing, 1968.
Lowrie, Walter, Art in the Early Church. NY: Harper, 1965.
Male, Emile, The Gothic Image: Religious Art in France of the Thirteenth Century. NY: Harper, 1958.
Male, Emile, Religious Art from the Twelfth to Eighteenth Century. NY: Pantheon, 1949.
Meer, Frederik van der, Apocalypse: Visions from the Book of Revelation in Western Art.
Payne, Anne, Medieval Beast. New Amsterdam Books, 1991.
Rees, Elisabeth, Christian Symbols, Ancient Roots. Jessica Kingsley Publisher, 1992.
Salvini, Roberto, Medieval Sculpture. Greenwich, CT: New York Graphic Press, 1969.
Sheridan, Ronald, Gargoyles and Grotesques: Paganism in the Medieval Church.
Short, Ernest, A History of Religious Architecture. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1955.
Strzygowski, Josef, Origins of Christian Church Art; New Facts and Principles of Research.
Sumptions, Jonathan, Pilgrimage: An Image of Medieval Religion. Totowaj, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1975.
Webber, F.R., Church Symbolism. Cleveland, OH: J.H., 1938.
Wilson, Peter L., Angels. NY: Pantheon Books,1980.
Vallentine's Jewish Encyclopaedia, Hymson and Silbermann, editors. London: Shapiro, Vallentine and Co., 1938.