History of Art I

Prehistory to Gothic, Catalog: AH201, Fall 2008

Contents

Course Information
Schedule
Assignments and Exams
Slidelists

Instructor: Suzanne Fricke, PhD

Email: suznews@unm.edu

Office Hours: FAC 323, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00-12:00; and Wednesdays, 11:30-12:30; or by appointment

Graduate Assistants:

Shana Klein, shana_klein@gmail.com
Office Hours: Tuesday, 4:00-5:00pm, FAC 228

Lissa Dehring, ldehring@unm.edu
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 4:00-4:30 or by appt, FAC 228

University Policies:

Course Information:

Objectives: This course covers art and architecture from the Paleolithic era through the Gothic period. The focus of the class is primarily on art from the Western world (Europe and North America), but other regions will also be explored. The work will be discussed for its formal qualities (how it looks), sociological/historical context (the culture from which it comes), and its iconographical meanings. By learning about specific works of art and their social and historical contexts, students will learn how to approach unknown pieces.

Required Texts:

Laurie Schneider Adams, Art Across Time, Volume I
Linnea Wren and David Wren, Perspectives on Western Art, Volume I

Class Attendance: As in any university course, regular attendance is necessary for you to fully grasp the material (see UNM attendence policy above). If you are unable to come to class on a particular day, try to obtain lecture notes from at least two students in the class and discuss the material covered with me or a GA.

Class Readings: Reading the text is extremely important to your understanding of the material in this class. Assigned readings are listed on the course syllabus by class.

Dropping the Course: UNM no longer allows a grade of Withdraw Pass if you stop attending the class. If you need to drop the course, you are responsible for reporting the change to the registrar's office. Be sure to drop as early as possible to maintain your scholarship status since the university notes when changes to your schedule occur. If you stop coming to class and do not contact the registrar, you will receive a failing grade.

Class Listserv: A listserv has been organized for this class to convey messages to everyone in it about class format and material. Please sign up as soon as possible. To subscribe follow these instructions.

Schedule:

This is a tentative schedule of lectures to be presented and is subject to change.

Week 1: Course Introduction and the Stone Ages

Tuesday, August 26: Introduction to the class
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 1, "Why Do We Study Art?"

Thursday, August 28: The Stone Ages
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 2, "The Art of Prehistory"

Week 2: The Emergence of Civilization in the Near East

Tuesday, September 2: Jericho, Sumer, and Akkad
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 3, "The Ancient Near East"
Wren, Chapter I, "The Art of the Ancient Near East"

Thursday, September 4: Babylon and Assyria

Week 3: Ancient Egypt

Tuesday, September 9: The Unification of Egypt and the Old Kingdom
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 4, "Ancient Egypt"
Wren, Chapter II, "The Art of Egypt: The Early Dynastic Period and the Old Kingdom"

Thursday, September 11: Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, and the Amarna Period in Ancient Egypt
Reading:

Wren, Chapter II, "The Art of Egypt: The Middle Kingdom and The Hyksos and the New Kingdom"

Week 4: The Rise of Civilization in the Mediterranean

Tuesday, September 16: Crete and Mycenae
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 5, "The Aegean"
Wren, Chapter III, "The Art of the Aegean"

Thursday, September 18: Archaic Greek Pottery, Painting and Mosaics
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 6, "The Art of Ancient Greece"
Wren, Chapter IV, "The Art of Greece: The Geometric and Archaic Periods"

Week 5: Ancient Greece, Continued

Tuesday, September 23: Sculpture and Architecture
Reading:

Wren, Chapter IV, "The Art of Greece: The Fifth Century" Thursday, September 25: Classical Style in Sculpture and Architecture

Week 6: The Etruscans

Tuesday, September 30: Hellenistic Sculpture and Architecture
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 6, "The Art of Ancient Greece: Hellenistic Period"
Wren, Chapter IV, "The Art of Greece: The Fourth Century and the Hellenistic Period"

Thursday, October 2: Etruscan Art and Architecture
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 7, "The Art of the Etruscans"
Wren, Chapter V, "Etruscan Art"

Week 7: Early China and Review for Exam

Tuesday, October 7: Early China
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 7, "Window on the World: China" Neolithic to First Empire"

Thursday, October 9: Review for Exam

Week 8:

Tuesday, October 14: MIDTERM
Thursday, October 16: FALL BREAK

Week 9: Ancient Rome

Tuesday, October 21: Early Rome
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 8, "Ancient Rome"
Wren, Chapter VI, "Roman Art: The Republican Period"

Thursday, October 23: Imperial Rome
Reading:

Wren, Chapter VI, "Roman Art: The Empire"

Week 10: The Emergence of Christian Art and Architecture

Tuesday, October 28: Early Christian Art
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 9, "Early Christian and Byzantine Art: A New Religion, The Divergence of East and West, Early Christian Art, and Centrally Planned Buildings"
Wren, Chapter VII, "Early Christian, Byzantine, and Islamic Art: Early Christian Art"

Thursday, October 30: Byzantine Art and Architecture
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 9, "Early Christian and Byzantine Art: Justinian and the Byzantine Style, The Development of the Codex, and Later Byzantine Developments"
Wren, Chapter VII, "Early Christian, Byzantine, and Islamic Art: Byzantine Art"

Week 11: Buddhist Art; Islamic Art and Architecture

Tuesday, November 4: Development of Buddhist Art
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 9, "Window on the World: Development in Buddhist Art (1st - 7th century A.D.)"

Thursday, November 6: Islamic Art and Architecture
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 10, "The Early Middle Ages: Islam"
Wren, Chapter VII, "Early Christian, Byzantine, and Islamic Art: Islamic Art"

Week 12: The Early Middle Ages and Ancient Mesoamerica

Tuesday, November 11: Early Middle Ages
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 10, "The Early Middle Ages: Northern European Art, Hiberno-Saxon Art, Carolingian Period, and Ottonian period"
Wren, Chapter VIII, "Early Medieval Art"

Thursday, November 13: Olmec, Teotihuacan, and the Mayans
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 10, "Window on the World: Mesoamerica (1500 B.C. - A.D. 1500)"

Week 13: Romanesque Art

Tuesday, November 18: The Emergence of the Pilgrimage Culture
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 11, "Romanesque Art"
Wren, Chapter IX, "Romanesque Art"

Thursday, November 20: Romanesque Art and Architecture, Continued

Week 14:

Tuesday, November 25: Gothic Architecture in France
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 12, "Gothic Art: The Origins of the Gothic Style in France to Gothic Architecture and Scholasticism"
Wren, Section X, "Gothic Art"

Thursday, November 27: THANKSGIVING BREAK

Week 15: Finish Gothic; Buddhist and Hindu Art and Architecture

Tuesday, December 2: Gothic Architecture in England
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 12, "Gothic Art: English Gothic"

Thursday, December 4: Buddhist and Hindu Architecture in East Asia
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 12, "Window on the World: Buddhist and Hindu Developments in East Asia (6th-13th century)"

SECOND PAPER DUE

Week 16: Late Gothic Painting in Italy and Review for Final

Tuesday, December 9: Dugento, Trecento, and International Gothic Painting
Reading:

Adams, Chapter 13, "Precursors of the Renaissance: Fourteenth-Century Italy and The International Gothic Style"

Thursday, December 11: Review for Final FINAL EXAM: Thursday, December 18, 10:00-12:00

Exams and Assignments:

Midterm Exam (Worth 25%, Tuesday, October 14th)
Final Exam (Worth 25%, Thursday, December 18th)

First Paper (Worth 20%, Due Thursday, October 2nd)
Second Paper (Worth 30%, Due December 4th)

Exams: There will be two equally weighted exams in this class. Each will last 75 minutes and will cover material and from the classroom lectures and the assigned readings. The final is Thursday, December 18, 10:00-12:00, and will follow the same format as the other exam; it will not be cumulative. If the class is cancelled on the exam date, the exam will take place on the next class day. Otherwise the exams will occur on the days indicated on the syllabus whether or not we have covered all the information listed; exams will only cover topics covered in class. There are no makeup examinations. If you have a compelling reason for missing an exam, you must discuss it with me as soon as possible and we will discuss options.

The exams will consist of:

* 10 Slide Identifications: You will be expected to know the artist, title, date, stylistic period, and location for each building;
* 10 Multiple Choice Questions;
* 10 Fill-in-the-Blank Questions;
* 1 Compare/Contrast Essay.

A slide list for each exam (see below) will be posted on my web page which will contain approximately 60 images. These examples will appear on the test in various forms: as identifications, in the compare/contrast essays, or as part of the short answer questions. The best way to learn these works is to create a set of flash cards with the image on one side (a Xerox copy, downloaded image, or a drawing) and writing the pertinent information on the back.

*If you have questions about how your exam was graded, you must first take it to the GA who graded it. Since the GAs will be doing all the grading, they can better explain your grade. If you still have a question, you may bring it to me but it must be signed by the GA.

Exam Slide Lists

Handouts:

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