| Unit name | Artistic Exchange in the Mediterranean |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HART30029 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Donkin |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
NONE |
| Co-requisites |
NONE |
| School/department | Department of History of Art (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The unit explores artistic exchange within the medieval and/or Early Modern Mediterranean, examining how artists travelled and how motifs, practices and works of art spread throughout the region through trade and diplomacy, conquest and colonisation. It asks how far the Mediterranean was characterised by a shared visual culture and how far by the distinctive contributions of different courts, cities, and religious communities, and may pay particular attention to the results of interaction between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In any one year, the unit may focus on a particular area, such as Spain or the Latin East, or concentrate on a specific city, for example Venice, Palermo or Istanbul. The course may thus provide the opportunities to reflect critically on concepts such as crusade and colonialism, portability, hybridity and convivencia.
On successful completion of this unit students will have developed: 1. an in-depth and detailed understanding of artistic exchange within the medieval and/or Early Modern Mediterranean; 2. the ability to work with primary sources; 3. the ability to integrate both primary and secondary source material into a wider analysis; 4. the ability to learn independently within a small-group context; 5. the ability to select pertinent evidence/data in order to illustrate/demonstrate more general ideas; 6. the ability to derive benefit from and contribute effectively to group discussion; 7. the ability to identify a particular academic interpretation, evaluate it critically and form an individual viewpoint; 8. the acquisition of advanced writing, research, and presentation skills.
Weekly 2-hour seminar Access to tutorial advice with unit tutor in consultation hours.
3,500 word essay (50%) 2-hour unseen written exam (50%)
C. Campbell & A. Chong, ed., Bellini and the East, exh. cat. (New Haven, 2006). J. D. Dodds, et al, eds, The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture (New Haven, 2008). E. R. Hoffman, ed., Late Antique and Medieval Art of the Mediterranean World (Oxford, 2007). C. Hourihane, ed., Interactions: Artistic Interchange between the Eastern and Western Worlds in the Medieval Period (University Park, PA, 2007). W. Tronzo, The Cultures of His Kingdom: Roger II and the Cappella Palatina in Palermo (Princeton, 1997).
