Studies in Medieval Art (420-0-1)

Topic

Arts & Patrons Under the Valoi

Instructors

Christina E Normore

Meeting Info

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

Overview of class

Part planner, part money-bags and part intended audience, the figure of the patron looms large in art historical writing about the Middle Ages. But what do we really know about the patron's part in either art making or art viewing? This class seeks to problematize this familiar concept through both critical group discussion of general theories of patronage and student-conducted case studies of individual examples. The first half of the course will consider definitions of the patron, the question of patronage and agency and theories of collecting. In the second half of the course students will select an individual patron connected to the well-documented Valois family and present weekly on their relationship to various types of art making.

Class Materials (Required)

Patronage: Power & Agency in Medieval Art. Edit. Colum Hourihane. Penn State University Press, ISBN: 978-0-9837537-4-2