107-022 The Discourse of Icons: Art of Byzantium

Note

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Usually 12.5 points of Art History at First Year.

Semester

Subject Description

This subject deals with the art of the Byzantine empire in centres such as Constantinople, Greece and Serbia, between the 8th and the 14th centuries. It takes as its focus the experience of the viewer within specific historical contexts - paying attention to the complex meanings of different types of icons (including panel painting, mosaic and fresco) and how these meanings were imparted. It also considers interactions between Byzantium and the West during this period, examining the use of icons and iconic images in cities like Sicily, Rome and Venice and questioning the shifts in meaning this may have engendered. By the end of semester students should have a familiarity with the key developments in middle and late Byzantine art and an appreciation and understanding of the various types and meanings of icons and how these meanings might have been perceived by their original viewers.