Unit information: Into the Baroque: Art in the Aftermath of the Reformation (Level I Special Field) in 2012/13

Unit name	Into the Baroque: Art in the Aftermath of the Reformation (Level I Special Field)
Unit code	HART26002
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Dent
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	HART22225 Special Field Project
School/department	Department of History of Art (Historical Studies)
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

In the history of the image, the Reformation is one of the most traumatic episodes. In the early sixteenth century, the proper role of sacred art became a hotly contested battleground in the continent-wide struggle that rent the church in two. The course begins with the challenge laid down by the theologians and iconoclasts of the Reformation. This precipitated a crisis in the legitimacy of the religious image and provoked a series of critical responses from within the Catholic heartlands. Ultimately, sacred art emerged triumphant in a new and assertive style forged in Italy and exported to the rest of the Catholic world. Concentrating mainly on Italy, but looking also at Spain and at what happened to the sacred image north of the Alps, we will study the impact of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation on a number of key artists, including Michelangelo, El Greco, and Bernini.

This course will enable students:

• to think critically about the role played by art in Counter-Reformation culture
• to identify key artists and art works and to demonstrate their relationship to Counter- Reformation values
• to understand the main developments in the style and content of sacred art following the Reformation
• to think critically about the function of art in a sacred setting

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit students should have:

• identified, analysed, and deepened their understanding of the significance of key themes in Counter-Reformation art
• understood the historiographical debates that surround the topic
• learned how to work with primary sources
• developed their skills in contributing to and learning from discussion in a small-group environment

Teaching Information

Weekly 2-hour seminar Access to tutorial consultation with unit tutor in office hours

Assessment Information

2-hour unseen written examination (summative, 100%)

The examination will assess their understanding of the unit’s key themes, the related historiography as developed during their reading and participation in / learning from small group seminars, and relevant primary sources. Further assessment of their handling of the relevant primary sources will be provided by the co-requisite Special Field Project (HART 22225)

Reading and References

M. B. Hall, The Sacred Image in the Age of Art, New Haven and London, 2011

A. Nagel, Michelangelo and the Reform of Art, Cambridge, 2000

M. B. Hall, After Raphael: Painting in central Italy in the Sixteenth Century, Cambridge, 1999

M. B. Hall, Rome, Cambridge, 2005

S. F. Ostrow, Art and Spirituality in Counter-Reformation Rome: The Sistine and Pauline Chapels in Santa Maria Maggiore, Cambridge, 1996

R. Wittokower, Bernini: Sculptor of the Roman Baroque, London, 1997