A&H 317 ROME AND THE CLASSICAL TRADITION WINTER 2016 / SPRING SEMESTER 2016 The course is scheduled from Monday January 4 - Friday January 22 2014, with a stay in Rome from 11-22 January. During the first eight weeks of the Spring semester students will work individually on a research paper.
A&H 317 ROME AND THE CLASSICAL TRADITION WINTER 2016 SPRING SEMESTER 2016 Classroom no: 14 Class times (4-8 January): sessions: 10:00-12:00; sessions: 14:30-16:30 The course is scheduled from Monday January 4 until Friday January 22 2016, with a stay in the Academia Belgica, from 11-22 January. During this period students should be available full time. During the first eight weeks of the Spring semester students will work individually on a research paper. Students are responsible for their own transport; they should arrive in the Academia Belgica in Rome on Monday January 11. The address of the Academia Belgica is: Via Omero 8, Rome. Instructor: Dr. Hans Bloemsma Email: h.bloemsma@ucr.com Tel: 0118-655505 Office no. & location: F 2.04 Office hours: Appointments to be arranged in class or by e-mail I. Track information a) Prerequisites for this course: Any of the following courses: o A&H 215 17 th -century Dutch Painting o A&H 216 Italian Renaissance Art o A&H 315 Interpreting Modern Art o A&H 318 Topics in art History For further information about the track, please see the track document available on the UCR intranet. II. Course description This course explores the art and culture of classical Rome as well as its legacy and continued influence in medieval and modern times. An overview of the major developments in the art of Roman antiquity is offered and the key monuments of the period are introduced. The course also explores their enduring contemporary relevance what the Germans call their Nachleben.
How did men and women of later times see, understand, and interpret the rich heritage of Roman culture? What did sculptures like the Laocoön Group or buildings like the Pantheon mean to them and what did they do with these monuments? In what way has the assimilation of and dialogue with the classical heritage affected artists working in Rome during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and in Modern Times? In Middelburg, a concise introduction to the art history of ancient as well as medieval and modern Rome will be offered. In Rome, a number of key monuments will be studied on site: important collections of classical sculpture as well as medieval churches build after late antique models, the Colosseum and the Pantheon as well the Renaissance Villa Farnesina, the remains of the Imperial Fori as well as their early 20 th -century successor, the Forum of Mussolini. Note: Since the Academia Belgica in Rome can host a maximum of 12 students, the maximum of students for this course is 12. Students are required to write a letter of motivation (max 500 words). The selection of 12 candidates will be based on these letters. III. Study Load This course earns students four credits (equivalent to 7.5 ECTS). In Middelburg the class meets twice per day for two hours. Preparation time is approximately 6 hours per day. In Rome the class meets twice per day for 3-4 hours. During the first half of the spring semester the students individually work on a 4000-word research paper. IV. Course materials a) Required books and literature: Penelope J.E. Davies [et.al.], Janson s History of Art. The Western Tradition, eighth edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010 (you may also use the seventh edition). This book is also available as etextbook at: www.coursesmart.com Supplementary reading (chapters, journal articles, etc.) as indicated per session. N.B. Students are responsible for acquiring all assigned reading individually. The course s main text book is available for purchase from De Drvkkery. In addition, most of the course s assigned journal articles are available via Utrecht University s databases and search engines. The remaining book chapters and articles are available through the Zeeuwse Bibliotheek and/or other libraries. In accessing readings, students should also make use of Picarta s inter-library loans system and other online services (e.g., Google Scholar). b) Suggested reading: Good histories of Rome are: Robert Hughes, Rome, London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 2011 Christopher Hibbert, Rome: the biography of a city, London: Penguin, 1987 Good guidebooks for Rome are: Amanda Claridge, Rome. An Oxford Archeological Guide, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998 Georgina Masson, The Companion Guide to Rome, 8th revised edition, Woodbridge: Companion Guides, 2003
Mauro Lucentini et.al., Rome. A Practical guide to the history and culture of the Eternal City, London: Pallas Athene, 2006 c) Other materials: Additional expenses (ca. 450): o Transport to Rome o Accommodation in the Academia Belgica (costs: 20 p.p.p.n.) o Entrance fees (please make sure to bring your student card) o UCR overhead V. Course organization and requirements a) ATTENDANCE. All sessions, both in Middelburg and in Rome, are mandatory. Missing more than two sessions will affect your final grade. A student who is absent for more than 20% of all sessions will receive a fail grade. b) READINGS. You are expected to have read the relevant chapters on the day they are assigned in this syllabus or announced in class. c) PARTICIPATION. In Middelburg, class discussions will be based on the readings and you are expected to participate. In Rome, active participation in group discussions and other group activities, on site and during seminars, is required. Note that participation accounts for 10% of your final grade. d) GROUP PRESENTATION. Together with one other student you are expected to give one presentation in Rome. The requirements for these presentations will be explained on January 4. e) The JOURNAL is a reflective report of the day s sessions while in Rome, to be written out regularly during the trip, and to be handed in afterwards. You can describe what you found remarkable or interesting, or difficult, what your thoughts on the trip are as it is going on, and should reflect on the connections between the theory you learned and your practical experiences. The journal is also a place to formulate first ideas for the research paper. f) RESEARCH PAPER. You are expected to work on one individually researched paper. The topic is determined in consultation with the instructor. The requirements for the paper will be explained on January 8. VI. Assessment Examination 30% Group presentation 10% Participation 10% Journal 10% Work in process report (including proposal) 10% Research paper 30% o Failing to complete one of these elements means you do not get any credits for this course.
o Students absent from the examination without prior arrangement will receive a failing grade for that test. o Anybody not able to give an opinion or summary of the required reading for that day will get an F. Two of these F s will lower your final grade (An A becomes A-, etc.) o Hand in your report & paper on time. Every day that a written assignment is late, it loses 10 %. If you miss the deadline by five days, this will automatically result in a fail for the assignment. o The work in process report and the research paper must be handed in both in electronic form and in hard copy. VII. Course schedule [subject to change] Time Topics to be discussed Course material used Assignments and assessment Week 1 UCR, Middelburg Monday 4/1 What is the Classical Tradition? Janson, pp. 103-162 (esp. 123-147) [7 th ed: 101-59 (esp. 121-145)] Classical Art from Rome Janson, pp. 181-233 (esp. 181-213 & 222-226) [7 th ed: 177-233 (esp. 177-209 & 219-225)] Mary Beard & John Henderson, Classical Art, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 65-74 Guidelines Group Presentations Tuesday 5/1 Late Antique and Early Christian Art Janson, pp. 235-254 [7 th ed: 235-253] Jaś Elsner, Art and Death, in: Imperial Rome and Christian Triumph, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998, pp.145-165 Das Nachleben der Antike in the Middle Ages Richard Krautheimer, The New Rebirth of Rome: The Twelfth Century, in: id., Rome. Profile of a City, 312-
1308, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000, pp. 161-4 & 182-202 Theodor Mommsen, Petrarch s Conception of the Dark Ages, Speculum, 17 (1942), pp. 226-242 Wednesday 6/1 The Renaissance Discovery of Classical Antiquity Janson pp. 505-7 & 565-83 [7 th ed: 503-4; 563-80] Marcia B. Hall, The High Renaissance, in: id., After Raphael, Painting in Central Italy in the Sixteenth Century, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, pp. 12-15 & 20-31 The Baroque and Antiquity Janson, pp. 661-89 [7 th ed: 659-87] Irving Lavin, Bernini and Antiquity The Baroque Paradox. A poetical View, in: H. Beck & S. Schultz (eds.), Antikenrezeption im Hochbarock, Berlin 1989, pp. 9-36 Thursday 7/1 Neo-Classicism Janson, pp. 785-793 & 817-818 (Antonio Canova) [7 th ed. 789-97; 851-2] Moshe Barash, Winckelmann, in: id., Modern Theories of Art, New York and London: New York University Press, 1990, pp. 97-121 Johann Joachim Winckelmann, Reflections on the Imitation of Greek Works in Painting and sculpture [1755], in: D. Preziosi (ed.), The Art of Art History. A Critical Anthology, Oxford: Oxford University
Press 1998, pp. 31-39 Fascist Italy and the Classical Tradition Ann Thomas Wilkins, Augustus, Mussolini, and the Parallel Imagery of Empire, in: Claudio Lazzaro & Roger J. Crum (eds.), Donatello among the Blackshirts, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2005, pp. 53-66 Jobst Welge, Fascism Triumphans. On the Architectural Translation of Rome, in: in: Claudio Lazzaro & Roger J. Crum (eds.), Donatello among the Blackshirts, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2005, pp. 83-94 Friday 8/1 Week 2 Academia Belgica, Rome Monday 11/1 Tuesday 12/1 Wednesday 13/1 Exam Rome: a practical introduction Transfer to Rome Welcome at the Academia Belgica Introduction The Capitol and the Capitoline Museums Exploring Classical Rome I: The Forum and the Colosseum Exploring Classical Rome II: Campo Marzio Exam Research paper
Thursday 14/ 1 Friday 15/1 Saturday 16/1 Sunday 17/1 Late Antiquity/Early Christianity S. Agnese fuori le mura & Santa Costanza Early Christianity and Early Middle Ages Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Pudenziana, Santa Prassede The Middle Ages San Clemente, SS Quattro Coronati The later Middle Ages Santa Maria in Trastevere, S Cecilia, Santa Maria in Cosmedin The Renaissance and Baroque Santa Maria sopra Minerva; Palazzo Farnese; Palazzo della Cancellaria; Piazza Navona; S Luigi dei Francesi Individual programme The Vatican Museums The Galleria Borghese Individual programme Week 3 Academia
Belgica, Rome Monday 18/1 Tuesday 19/1 The Renaissance Villa Farnesina The Baroque The Lateran The Baroque San Carlo, Sant Andrea and S. Maria della Vittoria Palazzo Barberini Introduction to the KNIR Wednesday 20/1 Thursday 21/1 The classical tradition in Modern art Galleria Nazionale d'arte Moderna Individual programme & research Antiquity and Modernity Piazza Augusto Imperatore and the Ara Pacis Individual programme & research Late afternoon: Research presentations Friday 22/1 Tuesday 2/2 Monday 15/2 Monday 28/3 Transfer back to Middelburg Deadline Journal Deadline proposal Deadline research paper
VIII. Student learning outcomes Students who successfully complete this course will: 1. demonstrate an insight in the most important theoretical issues concerning classicism in the visual arts. a) define in context and in own words the meanings of classicism and the classical tradition. b) be able to distinguish between different approaches in the study of the classical tradition 2. know the key artefacts, monuments, and sites of classical Rome. a) know how to date important monuments and works of art from classical Rome. b) have a basic knowledge of the historical, religious and political context of these works. c) have a general understanding of the development of Roman art from the Early Republic until Early Christianity. d) critically assess past research and interpretation traditions within the history of Roman art. 3. have an understanding of the enduring contemporary relevance of the artefacts, monuments, and sites of classical Rome. a) describe in their own words the different ways men and women of later times saw, understood, and interpreted these monuments. b) show an insight in the historical and cultural background that led to these different understandings and interpretations. c) be able to discuss how the assimilation of and dialogue with the classical heritage affected artists working in Rome during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and in Modern Times. d) know the key monuments in Rome that were the result of this assimilation and dialogue. 4. be able to analyse art historical texts and explain and present their analysis in group presentations and group discussions. a) comprehend assigned and individually researched reading material. b) describe in their own words the ideas put forward in these texts. c) distinguish between methodical approaches of writers in texts and be able to discuss these verbally.
5. be able to write, on the basis of individual library research, an essay on an aspect of the Classical tradition. a) search independently for literature on a specific topic and relate the information it provides to the theme of the course and the issues discussed in it. b) develop, using this literature and the knowledge acquired during the course, a tightly argued, original argument regarding the Classical tradition.