Course syllabus

ARTHIST 324

Power and Piety: the Baroque

SEMESTER 2, 2018

15 points

 
Course Convenor and Teacher:

Erin Griffey

Course delivery format:

E.g. - 2 hours of lectures and 1 hour of tutorial

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

 Summary of Course Description:              

This course, designed as a ‘Grand Tour’, explores the exceptionally rich visual culture of Western Europe in the seventeenth century. This visual culture encompasses paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, buildings and decorative arts. With a strong historical background, this course discusses how the production, patronage and reception of art was shaped by powerful political, religious, social and cultural factors.

The course covers several significant centres of power: the cities of Rome, Madrid, Paris (Versailles), Antwerp, Amsterdam and London. Palaces, churches, portraiture and the broader apparatus of magnificence feature prominently.

Amidst this contextual backdrop, you will become closely acquainted with the celebrated artists of the period: Annibale Carracci, Caravaggio and Bernini in Rome; Velazquez in Madrid; Mansart and Le Brun at Versailles; Rubens in Antwerp; Rembrandt in Amsterdam; and Van Dyck, Inigo Jones, and Christopher Wren in London.

In addition to a broader historical and art historical knowledge of the period, you will become conversant with the vocabulary used to describe art and architecture. Assessments endeavor to develop strong skills in visual analysis, critical reading and thinking. There is a traditional essay assignment as well as an assignment based on an artwork in the Auckland Art Gallery aimed at refining skills in art writing and connoisseurship. The exam includes both traditional essays as well as image-focused analysis.

 Course outcomes:

E.g. A student who successfully completes this course will have the opportunity to:

• acquire knowledge of and apply it to x situations
• understand and carry out [practical skills]
• acquire skills in report writing, critical thinking, academic literacy/ numeracy/ oral presentation etc.

 Assessment Summary:

Weighting of assignments and due dates if available, eg:

20% test               in week 6

30% essay           due week 9

50% exam

Weekly Topics:

Prescribed Texts / Recommended Texts:

Ann Sutherland Harris, Seventeenth-Century Art and Architecture (London: Laurence King).

 Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.