Forgotten after the 17th century, Johannes Vermeer’s work was slowly rediscovered in France in the 1860s. Within years, some of his distinctive characteristics, including his taste for intimate, psychologically charged interiors and a sensitivity to light and color, found reflections in works by artists such as Whistler, Degas, and Vuillard—and later, Edward Hopper. Art historian Aneta Georgievska Shine examines the facets of the "Vermeer effect" among French painters, those in other parts of Europe, and in the United States. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, or Cathedral Museum, in Siena, Italy, houses works of art and architectural fragments that were formerly in, or a part of, the Duomo of Siena (Siena Cathedral). These include a number of Italian Gothic sculptures by Giovanni Pisano and his school from the façade of the cathedral; the Maestà of Duccio di Buoninsegna, which was the altarpiece for about 200 years; and works by Ambrogio and Pietro Lorenzetti. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero highlights this lesser-known museum and its treasures. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
At its peak, the Roman empire extended from Britain to the Sahara Desert, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates River. Yet in 476, the last western Roman emperor was deposed. In a 4-part series, historian David Gwynn analyzes the dramatic events which shaped the decline and fall of the Roman empire in the west, exploring the transformation from the ancient to the medieval world that laid the foundations for modern Europe. This session focuses on the fourth-century Roman empire.
The life of Eleanor of Aquitaine is the stuff of legend. But what’s true? Tudor and Renaissance scholar Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger considers some of the stories—such as going on a Crusade dressed as an Amazon—that have grown from the real life of the ambitious and powerful woman who managed to become queen consort of England and France and shaped the reigns of two of England’s most famous kings: Richard the Lionheart and King John.
Over the centuries, major themes in art continue to reappear. The nude, animals, events in history, and depictions of fantasies are a few notable examples of categories that artists have interpreted in styles ranging from the naturalistic to the surreal. Art historian Joseph Cassar examines important masterworks within selected genres and the similarities among—and the uniqueness of—the artists and cultural norms that influenced their choices. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)
Over the past five years, the world has struggled to grapple with the realities of living with a global pandemic and its aftermath. COVID-19 has an historical precedent in the Black Death, the hemispheric pandemic that ravaged the 14th-century world. Medievalist Paul B. Sturtevant explores the people and societies who faced it, drawing parallels between the individual and collective experiences of people seven centuries apart.
Overshadowed for many decades, women artists who made important contributions to the Abstract Expressionist movement are finally getting their due. Most notable were five painters whose work was featured in the groundbreaking Ninth Street Art Exhibition of 1951. Art historian Nancy G. Heller examines the art and lives of these “Ninth Street Women,” their relationships with their male counterparts, and the gender-related obstacles they had to overcome to claim their place in a changing art world. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
After months of contentious negotiations among American, British, and French delegates, the Treaty of Paris was signed in November 1783, formally ending the War for Independence and creating the United States of America. Historian Richard Bell examines the complex diplomatic evolution of one the most important founding documents in this country’s history—as well as the least well-known and the most misunderstood.
