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Cultural History of the Visual Arts I.
Art, Culture, Politics
Prof. Ilona SármányParsons Fall Term 2006
History Department
The course is intended to give an overview of the main cultural and artistic trends in
painting and architecture from the fifteenth century to the late nineteenth century,
concentrating on the changing role of the arts and artist in society. The focus will be
on artistic production in its social and cultural contexts, enabling the relationship of
art to politics, ideas and social structures to be analyzed in some depth.
The lectures will cover differing interpretations of culture and cultural history. By
using classic works of scholarship, as well as current discussions of problems of style
and context, the lectures will address the main stylistic trends of the ages discussed:
Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism, Historicism, Realism
and Modernism.
The course has two main aims: The first is to address the different methodologies of
cultural history and art history, and to discuss various types of conceptual frameworks
for interpretation, including formalstylistic, aesthetic, historical, ideological, political,
sociological and genderbased. These methodologies and frameworks are intended to
stimulate the development of an analytical and critical approach toward the problems
of interpreting the arts in their social context.
The second aim of the course is to develop the skill of identifying styles and their
developments and to provide a framework for the scholarly analysis of painting and
architecture. Apart from the Italian, French, English and German intellectual and
artistic mainstreams (e.g. Humanism, Enlightenment, Romanticism, Realism,
Historicism), special attention will be paid to the specifically Central European
variations of periodstyles. (e.g. Biedermeier, Viennese Historicism etc. ). In
particular the different social and institutional contexts within which the artists of this
region operated will be dealt with in detail.
Lectures will be illustrated with slides of art works, and readings from prose and
poetry of the various periods under discussion. There will also be a visit to the
Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) which is intended to illustrate
stylistic development in painting in Europe, and to the Hungarian National Gallery.
The written assignment for the course will be an interpretative paper of 1012 pages
on one of the topics that have been covered. A paragraph of about one hundred words
describing the proposed research topic should be submitted by November 1. In
addition there will be a test in which students are expected to recognize the main
works of art shown and analyzed during the lectures.
Students who have not recently refreshed their knowledge of European history are
encouraged to read the following:
Kevin Wilson and Jan van der Dusen (eds.) The History of the Idea of Europe
London, New York, 1993. 183.
Norman Davies: Europe A History. Oxford, New York , 1996.
or alternatively any good survey, e.g. :
Eric Hobsbawm: The Age of Revolution 17891849. London, 1962.
Eric Hobsbawm: The Age of Capital, 18481875. London, 1975.
Students who are unfamiliar with the general stylistic history of the arts in Europe
are warmly encouraged to read before embarking on the course:
Jan Gympel: History of Architecture. Cologne 1996.
Ernst H. Gombrich: The Story of Art . London, 1950 1998.
the chapters on European art up to page 360.
or alternatively:
Hugh Honour and John Fleming: A World History of Art. London 1982 the chapters
on European Art: Nr. 4,5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14.
Syllabus of the lectures
29.September (Friday)
Introduction to art history as an aspect of cultural history . A survey of the evolution
of styles in Europe up to the end of the 16th century. Part I.
Reading: Frances Haskell: History and its Images. New Haven 1993.
chapter 7. pp.
E. H. Gombrich: The Story of Art. London, 1994. pp. 318.
Eric Fernie (ed.) Art History and its Methods. London, 1995. pp.1021.
plus the chapters on Winckelmann , pp. 6876., J. Burckhardt,
pp.8591. A. Riegl, pp.116126, Heinrich Wölfflin, pp. 127153.
Kenneth Clark: Civilization.London 1969, 1991. pp. 1116.
6. October
The concept of the evolution of styles. Historicism and art history.
A survey of the evolution of styles in Europe. Part II. (Stylistic periodization of
Mannerism and the Baroque, its regional variants and its various
"Weltanschauungen".) Discussion of the concept of this "Spirit of the age"
Reading: E. H. Gombrich: The Story of Art, London, 1989. Chapters: 1922 .
Hugh Honour and John Fleming: A Worl History of Art. London,
1982. pp. 426459.
M. Brusatin and G. Pizzamiglio (ed.): The Baroque in Central Europe
Venice 1992. (the illustrations)
Kenneth Clark: Civilisation: London 1969. Chapters: 5 9.
Patrick Nuttgens: The Story of Architecture. London, 1993.
Chapter 15.pp 196213.
Optional: John Hale: The civilization of Europe in the Renaissance, London, 1993.
Alison Cole: Art of the Italian Courts (Art in Context) , London, 1995.
13. October
The Enlightenment; art in the age of reason . Changes in perception and in the
relationship of the artist to his patrons and the public; the new didactic quality of art,
new forms of publicity, changes in taste. The gradual emergence of (neo) Classicism.
Readings: Eric Fernie (ed.): Art History and its Methods, Chapter on
Winckelmann and Goethe.
E. H. Gombrich: The Story of Art. London, 1989. Chapter 23, 24.
Kenneth Clark: Civilisation. London, 1969. Chapter 910.
H. Honour and John Fleming: A World History of Art. London 1982,
pp. 475479.
J. Rupert Martin: Baroque. London, 1971.
Matthew Craske: Art in Europe 17001830. (optional)
Hugh Honour: NeoClassicism. London 1968. ( optional)
20. October
Changes in architecture, town planning and urbanism generally at the end of the
eighteenth century. Visions, utopias and the political symbolism of architecture.
Revolutionary architecture and the coming of architectural romanticism. The
emergence of stylistic pluralism, regional differences and preferences.
Reading: Patrick Nuttgens: The Story of Architecture. London, 1993. Chapter 16.
(The Prophets of Elegance)
Mark Girouard: Cities and People. London, 1985. Chapter 9, 10, 11.
Henry Russel Hitchcock: New York 1977. Chapter 15.
David Watkins: European Architecture. London, 1994 (optional)
Peter Hall: Cities and Civilization. London, 1998. pp.323.
Barry Bergdoll: European Architecture 17501890. Oxford, 2000. (optional)
27. October
Art and Politics in the early 19th century : Classicism and Romanticism. The new
social position of the arts and the cult of the artist as genius. The national variants of
Romanticism, its stylistic richness and its main leitmotifs.
Reading: E. H. Gombrich: The Story of Art, pp. 383402.
Kenneth Clark: Civilization. Chapter 1112.
Ch. Baudelaire: What is Romanticism? ( see in the reader)
Hugh Honour and John Fleming: A World History of Art, Chapter 15.
R. Rosenblum and H.W. Janson: Art of the Nineteenth Century.
London, 1984. pp. 5066. 7489. 114186.
Optional reading: William Vaughan: Romantic Art. London, 1978.
Hugh Honour: Romanticism. 1979.
3. November
German Romanticism, Biedermeier and its influence in CentralEurope. Herder´s
influence. Regional developments in the visual arts in Central Europe in the first half
of the nineteenth century: the making of the nation through culture: national symbols
and myths, the cult of peasants. "National revivals" in literature and the fine arts in
Central Europe. Romantic Historicism.
Reading: Fritz Novotny: Painting and Sculpture in Europe 17801880. London,
1971. pp. 195219,
Lonnie R. Johnson: Central Europe, New York, Oxford. 1996. Chapter
Chapter 7: pp124148.
Hugh Honour: RomanticismRomanticism. London, 1979, 1991. pp. 1120.
pp. 319323
(optional readings according to different lierature in your
mother tongue.)
10. November
Historicism as a basic cultural "Weltanschauung" of the nineteenth century.
Historicism in architecture contradiction between form and function.
Engineering and the pioneers of modern architecture and design. Conservative utopias
and conservative reformers (Ruskin, Morris) The birth of "Bohemia",
the new role of the art establishments and the "Bildungsbürger" ideal of culture.
The PreRaphaelite Brotherhood .
Reading: H. Russell Hitchcock: Architecture: Chapter 6, pp 144190.
Mark Girouard: Cities and People. Chapter 1214. pp. 257300.
Nicholas Pevsner: The sources of Modern Architecture and Design.
London 1968.
R. Rosenblum and Janson: Art of the Nineteenth Century. ..
pp. 255 269.
17. November
Paris the art capital of the world. world exhibitions and their special function in
European culture differences between the countries and regions of Europe regarding
their public and social attitude towards the arts. The age of realism.
Different national versions of bourgeois realism. The official art world and the
marginalized art groups. The growing autonomy of the arts. Stylistic pluralism and the
search for a new aesthetics. Manet, "the painter of modern life."
Reading: R. Rosenblum and H.W. Janson: Art of the Nineteenth Century...
pp.218278.
Linda Nochlin: Realism. Harmondsworth, London. 1990. pp1356.
Fritz Novotny: Painting and Sculpture in Europe. 17801880.
Harmondsworth, 1971. pp. 257274, 277297
Richard R. Brettel: Modern Art 18511929 . Oxford,1999. pp. 5978.
24. November
Impressionism in context and the various new approaches to it. Style and subject
matter. Urban culture and a new cult of nature. The problems of patronage and the
role of art criticism in establishing a new canon.
Reading: R. Rosenblum and Janson: Art of the Nineteenth Century. pp.296305,
326 380.
H. Honour and J. Fleming: A World History of Art. 520528.
Timothy J. Clark: The Painting of Modern Life. pp. 4950. (reader)
Linda Nochlin: Women, Art and Power. pp. 136. (reader)
3. December
Art in Paris in the 1880ies: stylistic pluralism ( Symbolism, NeoImpressionism,
Naturalism and the beginnings of PostImpressionism). The crisis of positivism and
its effects on the art world. The different national art centres and the development of
the art market. The leading masters of the age (e.g.Rodin, Leighton, Watts, Whistler)
Gender and art – class and art.
Reading: R. Rosenblum and Janson: Art of the... 326381, 394416. 476484.
H. Honour and J. Fleming: A world History of Art. pp 528 538.
Linda Nochlin: The Politics of Vision. London 1991. pp. 170193.
F. Frascina, N. Blake (et al.): Modernity and Modernism. pp.332
10. December
The increasing antagonism between the artistic establishment and experimental art in
the 1890”s and its consequences. Changing role of the official forums of exhibitions,
the newly established art market and the marginalised status of the avantgarde.
(Pointilists, Intimists = Nabis, Symbolist tendencies, the Just milieu painters.
Readings: Shearer West: Fin –de siecle. London 1993. Pp.3368.
G.H. Hamilton: Painting and Sculpture in Europe 1880 1940 Pp. 105118.
17. December
Discussion of the seminar papers (critical essays) I. Test : Identification of works
(Paitings and buildings ) discussed during the fallterm.