Renaissance to Revolution - History through Art Winter 2017 – Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse - Thursdays, 1:00-3:00 pm

While historical study tends to rely primarily on written texts, artwork can supply an important visual dimension for the past. Great artists have always been sensitive observers; their paintings often serve as articulate commentaries on their times. Through an examination of pivotal cultural movements, this course will explore the three fundamental configurations of the dynamic relationship between history and art. A) Art Celebrating History :

1) Italian Renaissance – Florentine Republic - Ingredients for Cultural Revival

Artistic Naturalism ▪ 3-dimensional Perspective

Art as expression of Humanist Philosophy

2) Enlightenment – French Philosophes and Parisian Salons

Versailles ▪ Court Society ▪ Neo-Classicism

Golden Age of Aristocracy - Rococo Elegance

B) Art Resist ing History :

3) 17th Century Baroque – Exuberant Splendor vs. Protestant Ethics

Counter-Reformation or Catholic Renewal?

Rubens: Dramatic Art for Spiritual Elevation

4) Romantic Reaction – Industrial Revolution and Art of Nature

Emotional Intensity ▪ Repudiation of Enlightenment

Romantic Individualism vs. Victorian Sensibilities C) Art Influencing History : 5) Reformation Europe – Christian Humanism ▪ Erasmus ▪ Luther ▪ Calvin

Renaissance Papacy ▪ Traffic in Indulgences

Gutenberg’s Printing Press - Propaganda Woodcuts

6) Nationalistic Art – French Revolution & the Napoleonic Legacy

Wagner’s Ring Cycle ▪ German Nationalism

19th century Gothic Revival - British Pre-Raphaelites

Instructor: Dr. Bruce Elliott belliott@berkeley.edu