Studies in 17th & 18th Century Art (440-0-1)

Topic

Marble

Instructors

Alicia Caticha

Meeting Info

Kresge 4354 Art Hist. Sem. Rm.: Wed 2:00PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Writing in the mid-16th century, Francesco da Sangallo stipulated in a letter that when one spoke of sculpture, one spoke of marble. This connection between sculpture and (white) marble only strengthened over the course of the eighteenth- and nineteenth centuries. Yet as we know, Ancient Greek and Roman marble sculptures and buildings were painted in vibrant, bright colors. In the Renaissance and Baroque periods, polychrome marble blocks were used to create richly patterned architectural structures. This seminar will take on and challenge the Western conception of "white marble" by revisiting its history as a foundational material in the history of Europe Art, from Antiquity to the present. Topics will include the physical qualities of marble, marble quarries, the role of color (both applied and natural), the political and aesthetic debates surrounding antique and modern polychrome sculpture, and the relationship between the aesthetics of white marble and dangerous ideas of white supremacy. The class will also be taught in conjunction with the Art Institute of Chicago's landmark retrospective on Camille Claudel.

Class Materials (Required)

N/A

Class Notes

Please use the following link for Art History Waitlist information: https://arthistory.northwestern.edu/courses/2023-2024/waitlist.html