Index # 09944
Will Count Towards Art History MAJOR
Will Count Towards Art History MINOR
Everyone, regardless of ethnicity, who lives a modernist life shares, however imperfectly, two fundamental values. The first is a materialist philosophy founded on empiricism and causality; the second a civic approach that stresses individual rights and freedom of thought. These values are essentially Western in origin, first appearing in the Classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. This course will examine the appearance of these philosophies in Classical civilization and their reflections in contemporary art and architecture. During its final third, the course will address the eventual rejection in Western culture of these principles and the appearance of said rejection in contemporary art and architecture, the first a rejection of materialism in favor of spiritualism, a lengthy process occasioned by a long period of crisis and the eventual triumph of Christianity, and the second, the rejection of democracy in the political development of both Greece and Rome in favor of the efficiencies of autocracy, issues that inform the political debate of the early twenty-first century. The course will end with the rise of Islam, and the final transition of the Roman Empire into a state that might be called Byzantine. Students will learn how the visual products of each culture relate to that culture’s historical circumstances, societal values, and shifting personal and collective identities. The skills developed in this class are applicable to the art of any culture, providing important tools for navigating and interpreting media and visual representation in the twenty-first century. Course requirements will include a paper, an in-class report based on the paper, a second draft of the paper incorporating the suggestions of the seminar participants regarding content and style, and class participation.
About Professor Kenfield
Professor Kenfield's area of interest is ancient Greek art. Though his publications deal with material ranging from the Geometric through the Middle Byzantine cultural phases, his interests of late have centered on architectural sculpture in terra cotta produced in the Greek colonies in southern Italy and Sicily. The most recent among these publications include "High Classical and High Baroque in the Architectural Terra Cottas of Morgantina," Hesperia, suppl. XXVII (Princeton, 1994): 275-81 and "Technical Variety in the Archaic Architectural Terra Cottas of Morgantina," Deliciae Fictiles II (Amsterdam, 1997): 115-20. Morgantina Studies VI: The Architectural Terra Cottas (Princeton University Press) is due to appear in fall 1999 or spring 2000.