TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Course description and aims

In this lecture, you will deepen your understanding of European culture through intensive study of paintings, sculptures, and architectural works produced during the Renaissance (around the 15th to 16th centuries).
　 What artists come to mind when you hear the term “Renaissance art”?　Botticelli, who painted numerous beautiful goddesses; Leonardo da Vinci, an all-around genius who could never be defined as simply an “artist”; Raphael, who painted numerous Madonna and Child, which became the standard for paintings in later centuries; or Michelangelo, an indomitable artist who continued to create heroic sculptures while repeatedly clashing with patrons but never bent his own beliefs? They are all great artists who continued to create inspiring works that still strike people’s minds today, but the history of Renaissance art was not shaped solely by these grand “masters” or their famous works.
　 You may have heard that “Renaissance,” French for “rebirth,” was a series of cultural movements to revive the classical culture of ancient Greece and Rome. This definition is correct, of course, but history is not so simple as to suggest that all artists and cultural figures were involved in creative activities with the sole purpose of “revitalizing” classical culture. While there were creative artists who surprised people with their innovative expressions taken from ancient art and tried to create new art rather than “revitalize” it, there were also artists and cultural figures who turned their attention back to the medieval expressions of a previous era and tried to devise ways to integrate the “revitalized” classical culture and the traditional medieval culture between the old and new styles.
　 Renaissance era in Europe was still a time of strong ecclesiastical power. Aside from portraits of royalty and nobility, artists’ main task was to create works of religious art for churches, which required works of art to be solemn and appropriate for worship, as well as to comply with the myriad of biblical mandates that Christ or saints in this scene must be depicted in this manner. Renaissance artists lived in a culture that did not allow them to paint what they wanted to paint as freely as modern painters do.
　 The events discussed in this lecture took place in Europe at a time when the people were at war repeatedly and the authority of the past was much more important than it is today. Yet even in these times, artists fostered diversity, and the works of art that resulted from their insatiable inquisitiveness and creativity achieved an eternal universality as the representative art of European civilization. Although I can only cover a limited number of works in the seven classes, I hope to introduce some of them. I also welcome students with no prior knowledge of art and those who are not familiar with art.

Student learning outcomes

1) Develop an interest in European art. In particular, you will be able to consider how art and society were related during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
2) Be able to grasp the content of religious and mythological subjects to some extent. Understand the common sense surrounding pre-modern art.
3) Learn about the background of famous works by major artists. Acquire guidelines for researching works that interest you

Keywords

Europe, Art, Art History, History, Renaissance, Baroque

Competencies that will be developed

Class flow

Since the lecture will be held in a large classroom, each person is not required to speak, but please do not hesitate to speak up if you have any comments or questions about the works or if you have any other concerns.

Preparation: Although not required, you should be able to understand the lecture content more smoothly if you have already studied the lecture. Gombrich's "The Story of Art" and a series published by Chuokoron-shinsha will give you a general overview of the period and help you to understand the content much better.

Review: Lecture materials and Power Points will be uploaded to T2SCHOLA, so please review them. Although it may be difficult to explore everything comprehensively, if you find an artist or a work of art that interests you after listening to the lecture, please read the reference books introduced in the lecture and research the artist, the techniques and features characteristic of the work, the historical background, etc. in detail. This should help you prepare for your final report.

Commentary assignments: I will periodically prepare commentary assignments. They are not difficult questions, and simple, casual answers will suffice, but I will add them to the grading. You are encouraged to submit comment assignments.

Course schedule/Required learning

Out-of-Class Study Time (Preparation and Review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

The textbook itself will not be specified, but please be sure to read and reread the lecture materials and reference books.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Outline of Western Art History: E. H. Gombrich, The Story of Art, Phaidon Press, 2006.
Subject Genre: James Hall, Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art, Routledge, 2007.
Other related books will be introduced in the lecture and in the lecture materials.

Assessment criteria and methods

The basic evaluation is based on the final report. You will be asked to select a piece of European art from the Renaissance and Baroque periods and examine it. The details will be announced in the lecture (about 70-80% of the points will be distributed). In addition, brief comment assignments will be given in the lecture, which will also be evaluated. (about 20-30%).

Related courses

• LAH.A502 ： Area Studies: East Asia
• LAH.A503 ： Area Studies: Latin America
• LAH.A504 ： Area Studies: Middle East and Africa
• LAH.A505 ： Area Studies: South and Southeast Asia
• LAH.A506 ： Area Studies: North America and Oceania
• LAH.H102 ： Art A
• LAH.H202 ： Arts B, Esthetics B
• LAH.H302 ： Arts C, Esthetics C

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

No prior knowledge is required, but a simple knowledge of modern European history and geography may be helpful. If you are not confident, please check back.

Other

This course is 500-level course.
Tokyo Tech’s “wedge-shaped style education” enables students to pursue liberal arts education in a phased manner throughout undergraduate and graduate programs.
Students are encouraged to take 100-level to 600-level courses in order. As such, master’s students must begin Humanities and Social Science courses at the 400 level (in 1Q/2Q of the first year for those entering in April, and 3Q/4Q for those entering in September), then proceed to 500-level courses (in 3Q/4Q or later for those entering in April, and 1Q/2Q of the following year or later for those entering in September).