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Courses in Art History
Art
2540
BAROQUE ART
*Offered in alternate years.
4
SEMESTER HOURS
SYLLABUS for Spring 2006:
Art 2540. BAROQUE ART
Spring 2006, TTh 10-11:15, W 12-12:50
Dr. Elise L. Smith
Office: Academic Complex 323
Office Hours: M & F 10-11, Th 9:00-9:50, or by appointment (also feel
free to drop in whenever you're passing by)
Phone Numbers: 974-1432 (office); 354-2290 (home; no calls after 10:00
p.m., please)
E-mail: smith, elise (outlook) or smithel@millsaps.edu (I usually read
my e-mail a number of times a day, so this is a great way to get in touch
with me if you have a quick question or problem or confusion, or just
want to talk)
Seventeenth-century European painting and sculpture (along with some
architecture) will be looked at, analyzed, discussed, evaluated, sometimes
laughed at, often admired, re-discussed and re-evaluated in this course.
Major attention will be paid to the art of Italy, Flanders, and Holland,
but we'll also bring in some Spanish and French Baroque painting for comparative
purposes.
TEXTS. Laurie Schneider Adams, Key Monuments of the Baroque
(Westview Press, 2000), and Vernon Hyde Minor, Baroque & Rococo
Art & Culture (Prentice-Hall, 1999).
GRADES. Each of you will be evaluated on the basis of:
1) midterm and final exam (20%, 20%)
2) 6 reading responses (out of 7 assigned) (25%)
3) short research paper (about 8 pp.) (25%)
4) class participation (10%)
SENIORS. Seniors may choose not to take the final exam if their
grade is C or above, and if they continue to come to class until the last
day of the semester (failure to do so could result in being required to
take the final). The course grade of seniors who don't take the final
will be computed as follows: one exam (25% each), reading responses (30%),
research paper (30%), and class attendance and participation (15%).
CLASS ATTENDANCE AND DISCUSSION: Regular class attendance is especially
important in this art course since it won't be possible to duplicate the
experience of class discussions simply by reading along in the book. You
can't learn without engaging with the material, so I strongly encourage
all of you to ask questions and talk freely in class about the art works.
Absences for whatever reason after the first two will adversely affect
your final grade (I will count off one point from your final grade for
each absence after the first two). If you are absent for an extended excused
illness or family emergency you may be able to make up those absences
by doing additional writing assignments (it is your responsibility to
consult with me about this if the need arises).
LEARNING DISABILITIES: If you have a learning disability and need
special arrangements you must discuss it with Patrick Cooper in Student
Affairs as well as each of your instructors. In order for me to be able
to accommodate your needs you must inform me within the first week of
the semester (or within one week of entering the class).
EXAMS: The in-class exams will consist of slide identifications
and essays. The essays will involve analysis and comparison of selected
works of art. For the purposes of this class, the complete identification
of a work of art requires the following information: name of artist (correctly
spelled), nationality, title of the work of art, and approximate date
by third of a century (early, mid, late). There may also be a take-home
component to the final exam.
* * * No make-up exam will be given unless you have a serious medical
or other emergency reason and have notified me in advance of the reason
for your absence.
RESEARCH PAPER: This paper (about 8 pages typewritten, in 12-point
font) will be centered around a single work of art (painting, sculpture,
or architecture). You should have a clearly stated thesis around which
the paper is developed, and should bring in relevant material from both
of the following categories:
internal evidence (related directly to the work itself), consisting of
a close technical, stylistic and/or iconographic (i.e., subject matter)
analysis;
external evidence (related to contextual issues), which could include
biographical information pertinent to your thesis and/or a consideration
of the larger context in which the work was made (historical, political,
literary, religious, and/or social, including issues of gender, race,
and/or class).
You should also incorporate into your paper at least one or two images
for comparative purposes, to clarify your understanding of these issues.
This is a paper that will involve considerable research. You should have
at least five different sources in your bibliography. Internet sites are
not acceptable sources for this kind of formal art history paper. Please
use specialized books and articles on the artist or the period as much
as possible, rather than general art history surveys, and look for the
most up-to-date sources that you can find. You will probably have to supplement
our library holdings with books and articles acquired through interlibrary
loan, so be sure to leave at least two weeks for those sources to arrive.
For appropriate scholarly books, check the bibliographies and notes of
books and articles that you've already found, and/or go to the on-line
site of a major library such as Harvard (www.harvard.edu) or Yale (www.yale.edu)
to see what they have. For articles, check the periodical index called
The Art Index, which is available either in hard copy in the reference
area of the library or (for the last few decades) on-line through the
library web page (go to Search Tools, then Research Databases, then Art
Index). I also have a number of books in my office and would be glad to
loan them out if they'd be useful.
Most important: a narrow focus, a thesis, and a full development of your
argument. Learn as much as you can about the topic, and then figure out
what aspect you want to pursue. Avoid simple summary, and be sure to include
substantial, extended analysis of art or art ideas (in other words, this
paper should not just be biography or history, but should include close
analysis that reflects your growing awareness of and proficiency with
the language of art). One productive way to start is to sit down with
a color illustration of the image and look at it very closely for a long
time, free-writing your way into an understanding of the piece. This probably
won't end up as part of your paper, but will help you to establish your
own voice as you work on the image. It's your paper, so don't let the
voices of your sources dominate you. But this is also not an opinion piece.
It's a formal scholarly paper. Your voice and thesis and analysis should
be informed by awareness of the available scholarship on this artist and
image. Remember to include xeroxed illustrations when needed, with figure
numbers in the text to refer your readers to those illustrations. You
can read a few examples of award-winning art history papers written by
Millsaps students by going to the art department web page. You should
also become familiar with the short document "Tips for Writing Art
History Papers," also found on our web site.
Revision: I strongly encourage you to go through a rigorous and extensive
revision process for this paper, which would ideally include various outside
readers from the Writing Center or from among your peers. I would be happy
to talk with you about the progress of your paper, and if you get a draft
to me at least a week before the due date I could offer you suggestions
for revision. Once the paper is turned in to me on the due date, however,
the grade it receives will be final.
Late assignments will be marked down 1/3 letter grade for each 24 hours
that they are late (including weekends), unless prior arrangements are
made. A serious, legitimate, justifiable reason is needed for me to consider
granting a student extra time for these papers, so plan ahead and budget
your time wisely. If you turn a paper in late and I'm not in my office,
please put the date and hour on it.
READING RESPONSES. For six of the seven articles that you read
during the semester, you'll write a short reading response (about one
page, typed) that will be due at the beginning of the class during which
the article will be discussed. Also please be sure to bring the article
itself to class that day. No late responses or e-mail submissions will
be accepted. It's your choice which response not to write, but remember
that you still need to read every article and be prepared for discussion.
If you'd like you may write responses for all seven articles, in which
case I'll drop the lowest grade. The reading response should consist of
the following:
1) a heading with the bibliographic information in MLA format (5 points);
2) a brief summary of the thesis or argument of the article (usually one
to three sentences should suffice), with parenthetical citation of page
number(s) where the thesis can be found in its clearest statement. Since
in order to do justice to a complex argument it's often necessary to pull
together a couple of the major points in the article, it's usually best
to paraphrase the argument in your own words rather than simply quoting
a particular sentence (40 points);
3) an outline of what you see as the major supporting pieces of evidence
for the author's thesis (typically three to five points, briefly stated
in a couple of sentences for each point, with parenthetical citations
of the relevant page numbers where they're discussed) (40 points);
4) one or two significant questions derived from close reading of the
article (15 points).
No reading responses need to be written for the texts by Minor or Adams.
PLAGIARISM - A Reminder
Always be careful about plagiarism, even in short writing exercises and
take-home exams. Plagiarism, as you know from LS1000, is the use of another
person's ideas or words without proper acknowledgment.
Two of the most common forms of plagiarism are defined by Diana Hacker
in The Bedford Handbook for Writers (Boston: St. Martin's, 1994) as
"(1) borrowing someone's ideas, information, or language without
documenting the source and
(2) documenting the source but paraphrasing the source's language too
closely, without using quotation marks to indicate that language has been
borrowed" (477).
When should you document a source? In addition to citing the source of
a direct quote, you should give a citation when you refer to an idea,
opinion, hypothesis, or conclusion from one of your sources, or when you
summarize or paraphrase a section of your source, or when you rely on
one of your sources for a fact that would not be considered common knowledge
for the audience of your paper (Hacker 477-78). The point of all this
is to help the reader (and yourself as writer) to distinguish between
your own ideas and those with whom you are entering into scholarly conversation.
What is meant by paraphrasing a source too closely? This is probably
the kind of plagiarism that I most often see in student papers. It has
often been considered "unintentional", but is nonetheless clearly
recognizable as plagiarism. With the Honor Code now in place at Millsaps,
and with a concerted effort being made by faculty and students alike to
clarify the boundaries of academic dishonesty, you will no longer be able
to plead lack of understanding but will be turned in to the Honor Council.
If you're uncertain about plagiarism, I encourage you to read Hacker (467-79)
or another style manual on the process of taking notes in order to properly
paraphrase your sources and on constructing and writing your essay in
order to maintain a strong, clear voice.
HONOR CODE: The honor pledge signed by all students upon entering
the College is as follows: As a Millsaps College student, I hereby affirm
that I understand the Honor Code and am aware of its implications and
of my responsibility to the Code. In the interests of expanding the atmosphere
of respect and trust in the College, I promise to uphold the Honor Code
and I will not tolerate dishonest behavior in myself or in others.
Please pledge all your written work for this class with the written
pledge: "I hereby certify that I have neither given nor received
unauthorized aid on this assignment [Signature]." The abbreviation
"Pledged" followed by your signature has the same meaning and
is acceptable on assignments other than final exams.
COURSE CALENDAR
4th Hour: We will rarely use our 4th hour (Wednesdays 12-12:50), but
please do not schedule anything else during that time in case we need
to meet.
Week
1
(1/17, 1/19) Introduction to the Baroque style
OPTIONAL ATTENDANCE: Wednesday, 1/18, 7:30, Lewis Art Gallery, gallery
talk by Sandra Murchison and Michelle Acuff
READ (for 1/19): Wölfflin, Panofsky, and Martin handouts; Minor 28-29
2
(1/24, 1/26) Caravaggio
REQUIRED ATTENDANCE: Monday, 1 /23, 7:30, AC 215, Slide talk by Jennifer
Angus
READ (for 1/24): Adams 37-43; Minor 43-56, 124-29, 164-67, 245, 254-58,
357-65 (top)
3
(1/31, 2/2) Caravaggio
READ (for 1/31): Thomas Puttfarken, "Caravaggio's 'Story of St. Matthew':
A challenge to the conventions of painting," Art History 21.2 (June
1998): 163-181
DUE (1/31): Reading response #1
4
(2/7, 2/9) Gentileschi
READ (for 2/7): Adams 43-48; Minor 163-64 (on Sirani), 168-69, 173, 240-41
READ (for 2/9): Mary D. Garrard, "Artemisia and Susanna," Feminism
and Art History: Questioning the Litany, ed. Norma Broude and Mary D.
Garrard (New York: Harper & Row, 1989), 147-171
DUE (2/9): Reading response #2
5
(2/14, 2/16) Gentileschi
READ (for 2/12): Handout of Gentileschi's letters
READ (for 2/16): Adams 25-35
Notice that your paper topic & preliminary bibliography are due 3/7
6
(2/21, 2/23) Bernini
READ (for 2/21): Minor 20-22 ("Concettismo"), 131-32, 173-77,
222-27, 244, 315-18, and Michael J. Call, "Boxing Teresa: The Counter-Reformation
and Bernini's Cornaro Chapel," Woman's Art Journal 18.1 (Spring-Summer
1997): 34-39.
DUE (2/21): Reading response #3
7
(2/28, 3/2) Baroque Architecture
READ (for 2/28): Adams 15-25; Minor 75-93
MIDTERM EXAM: March 2
8
(3/7, 3/9) Baroque Ceiling Paintings
READ (for 3/7): Adams 48-53; Minor 26-31, 141-48, 153-55
DUE: Paper topic and preliminary bibliography
9
(3/13-17) Spring Break!
10
(3/21, 3/23) Rembrandt
READ (for 3/21): Adams 115-135; Minor 22-24 ("Meraviglia"),
69-72, 199-203, 236-39
NO CLASS, 3/23 - I'll be at a conference in Gainesville
OPTIONAL ATTENDANCE: Friday, 3/24, 7:30, Lewis Art Gallery, Annual Student
Juried Exhibition reception and live music
11
(3/28, 3/30) Rembrandt
READ (for 3/28): Eric Jan Sluijter, "Rembrandt's Bathsheba and the
Conventions of a Seductive Theme," Rembrandt's ‘Bathsheba Reading
King David's Letter', ed. Ann Jensen Adams (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1998),
48-99.
DUE (3/28): Reading response #4
12
(4/4, 4/6) Hals & Leyster
READ (for 4/4): Minor 24-25 ("Spectacle"), 203-07, 229-30
READ (for 4/6): Frima Fox Hofrichter, "Judith Leyster's Proposition--Between
Virtue and Vice," Feminism and Art History: Questioning the Litany,
ed. Norma Broude and Mary D. Garrard (New York: Harper & Row, 1989),
172-181
DUE (4/6): Reading response #5
OPTIONAL ATTENDANCE (required for art majors): Monday, 4/3, 7:00, Lewis
Art Gallery, Senior gallery talks
13
(4/11, 4/13) Vermeer & Steen
READ (for 4/11): Minor 247-52 (Dutch Still Lifes), 259-62, 298-301, 339-42;
Nanette Salomon, "Vermeer and the Balance of Destiny," Essays
in Northern European Art Presented to Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann on his
Sixtieth Birthday, ed. Anne-Marie Logan (Doornspijk: Davaco, 1983), 216-221
DUE (4/11 or 4/13): Reading response #6 - Read both articles for this
week, but choose one on which to write your response (due on the date
the article will be discussed in class).
READ (for 4/13): Laurinda S. Dixon, "Together in Misery: Medical
Meaning and Sexual Politics in Two Paintings by Jan Steen," Jane
Carroll and Alison Steward, eds. Saints, Sinners, and Sisters (Aldershot:
Ashgate, 2003): 246-68.
14
(4/18, 4/20) Rubens
READ (for 4/18): Adams 55-113; Minor 138-39, 170-72, 180-84, 219-22, 239-40,
266-81
DUE 4/20: Research paper
15
(4/25, 4/27) Rubens
READ (for 4/25): Margaret D. Carroll, "The Erotics of Absolutism:
Rubens and the Mystification of Sexual Violence," Representations
25 (Winter 1989): 3-30
DUE (4/25): Reading response #7
* This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
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