JAN 181 - Engaging Christian Art: France and Italy

What shape should a church have, and how should it be decorated?  What symbols or scenes from the Bible would you feature, and how would you portray Jesus?  What do your answers to these questions say about your understanding of Jesus and theology?  Attempting to answer these questions will take us deep into the study of Christian art and situate you as dialogue partners with some of the world’s most famous artists.
        
 In this course we will study buildings, paintings, and sculptures in Italy that artists over the centuries have created to embody their understanding of the Christian faith. We’ll situate the works in various eras of art and architecture, ask what they reveal about how the artists understood the gospel, and consider the influence of these works on our understanding of the Christian faith.
        
Our primary “texts” will include some of the most famous churches and museums in the world: the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, the Uffizi in Florence, St. Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, and the Borghese Galleries in Rome.  We will go from studying the earliest Christian art in the catacombs to the beginnings of the Italian Renaissance in Assisi in Florence, to the High Renaissance masterpieces of Michelangelo and Raphael, to the flowering of the Baroque in Rome.  We will also spend days studying the art and cathedrals in the wonderful medieval cities of Siena and Orvieto.
         
Interested? Come to the information sessions and learn more about what it is like to explore these cities - including sampling their gastronomical delights and perhaps trying our hands at making some pasta dishes too.

Instructor(s): Tom Poundstone
Email:  tpoundst@stmarys-ca.edu

Prerequisites & Notes
Prerequisites:  Grade of B or higher in either TRS 097 or TRS 189, attendance at pre-registration meeting; Permission of Instructor
Course Fee:  4900

Credits: 1