AARH 170 Survey of Western Art & Architecture I

This course opens with an exploration of cave paintings dating as far back as 30,000 BCE and culminates in a survey of religious visual expressions of the Middle Ages, including the construction and decoration -- painted, sculpted, and stained glass -- of Gothic cathedrals. The class examines all that came between these two eras, in particular art and architecture of the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations, the Mediterranean culture of the ancient Aegean, the art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome, and the splendor of the Byzantine world. The course investigates how artworks interact with their respective cultures, and students will gain familiarity with specific examples from each period and acquire the vocabulary and skills of art analysis.