AR223-5-AU-CO:
Art and Power
2021/22
Art History and Theory
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Monday 11 October 2021
Friday 17 December 2021
15
05 October 2021
Requisites for this module
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This module examines the vibrant artistic culture of the Renaissance court, paying particular attention to gender. We will primarily study Italian courts and artists, though comparative material will include courts in Burgundy, France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire.
In addition to primary sources (Capellanus's De Amore and Castiglione's Book of the Courtier) and scholarly articles and book chapters from a range of disciplinary perspectives, we will read recent scholarship analysing the visual culture of Renaissance courts through the lens of gender studies.
Among the topics considered will be: the deployment of an Aristotelian notion of 'magnificence' as a justification for lavish expenditure; conceptions of chivalry and courtly love; masculinity and the 'beautiful' body of the Renaissance lord; the patronage of Isabella d'Este; constructions of fecundity at the court of François 1er; virility and lineage concerns in court portraiture; the 'Mannerist' style at the court of Cosimo I de' Medici.
The aims of the module are:
1. to investigate the relationship between art and power in a specific time period and geographical location;
2. to consider the ways in which art and architecture have been employed to assert and preserve power;
3. to consider how art and architecture have been used to contest power and authority;
4. to encourage students to develop skills in written communication through the writing of essays, and in oral communication through active participation in seminars.
By the end of this module the student should have:
1. a good understanding of the relationship between art and power in a specific period and geographical location;
2. the ability to describe, analyse and interpret works of art and architecture featured in the module;
3. the ability to write in an informed manner on the relationship between art and power and to form an argument relating to various aspects of the topic;
4. the ability to relate works of art to primary sources, and art historical and theoretical literature relating to the topics covered on the module.
By the end of the module, students should also have acquired a set of transferable skills, and in particular be able to:
1. Define the task in which they are engaged and exclude what is irrelevant;
2. Seek and organise the most relevant discussions and sources of information;
3. Process a large volume of diverse and sometimes conflicting arguments;
4. Compare and evaluate different arguments and assess the limitations of their own position or procedure;
5. Write and present verbally a succinct and precise account of positions, arguments, and their presuppositions and implications;
6. Be sensitive to the positions of others and communicate their own views in ways that are accessible to them;
7. Think laterally and creatively (i.e. to explore interesting connections and possibilities, and to present these clearly rather than as vague hunches);
8. Maintain intellectual flexibility and revise their own position based on feedback;
9. Think critically and constructively.
No additional information available.
1 x 2 hour seminar per week. There will also be a Reading Week when no teaching will take place, exact week to be confirmed.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
2000 word essay |
|
83% |
| Coursework |
Slide Test |
|
17% |
| Exam |
Main exam: 24hr during January
|
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Diana Presciutti, email: dbpres@essex.ac.uk.
Alison Barker
artquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Dominic Paterson
University of Glasgow
Senior Lecturer in History of Art / Curator of Contemporary Art
Available via Moodle
Of 55 hours, 45 (81.8%) hours available to students:
10 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
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