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.
As the American Revolution broke out in New England in the spring of 1775, dramatic events unfolded in Virginia that proved as decisive as the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill in uniting the colonies against Britain. Journalist and author Andrew Lawler offers a new perspective on the roots of the American Revolution as he describes the impact of the actions of Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia.
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)
Quilting and embroidery are deeply personal crafts that weave individual stories, emotions, and memories into every stitch. Often imbued with heartfelt intentions and symbolism, each work reflects the artist’s unique journey. Led by textile historian Alden O’Brien, visit two exhibitions that showcase the power of local artistry. One is at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, and the other is at the American Visionary Art Museum.
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)
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)
For approximately five centuries during the second millennium B.C.E., the Egyptian city of Thebes served as the backdrop for the construction of a bewildering array of religious temples, memorial complexes, and royal tombs. Historian Justin M. Jacobs introduces the chief cultural, religious, and political themes of the monuments of ancient Thebes: the Karnak and Luxor temples of the East Bank, the memorial temples of the West Bank, and the necropolis in the Valley of the Kings.
Over the past 2,000 years, Samarkand—located in what is now Uzbekistan—has absorbed the wealth and labors of Sogdian merchants, Manichean priests, Islamic astronomers, Mongol khans, Timurid emperors, Russian czars, and Soviet officials, all of whom attempted to use the city as a base from which to conquer Central Asia. Historian Justin M. Jacobs analyzes the cultural achievements of each of these historical groups.
