Overview of Course

This course will follow the ship’s voyage, starting with southern Italy and ending with northern Germany. It will introduce students to the history of art, with special attention to the ways artists rework traditions of the past to suit their own purposes. By focusing primarily on the appropriation of ancient and medieval European ideals, students will discover how artists, past and present, imagine a new future. To this end, students will not only address the visual appearance of various visual images, but they will also address the use of artworks in the promotion of particular cultural expectations. Political, social, and religious values will be addressed within this context. Throughout the semester we will address visual images not merely as passive illustrations of particular worldviews, but as powerful agents affecting various cultural beliefs and practices.