An issue-oriented course, dealing with actual sculpture on the Ithaca College and Cornell campuses. Discussions center on controversial issues, such as the public funding of outdoor sculpture, originals vs. copies, and restoration and preservation. The course also addresses technical problems and historical issues. This course explores art and architecture of the Gothic era in Europe, and their reflections of the conflicting ideals and realities of the late Middle Ages. Parallel developments in medieval music and literature are discussed.
Primary consideration is given to painting, but sculpture and graphics are discussed as well.
Although technical and formal issues are considered, emphasis is on the artworks in their historical and social context and on their function and meaning for the contemporary audience. A study of the painting and sculpture of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, and other Italian artists of the 16th century. High Renaissance, mannerism, and the Golden Age of Venice are discussed as concepts, and works are considered in a cultural context. A survey of women artists working from the Renaissance to the present with emphasis on the interconnections between feminism and women's art. An examination of women as subject matter in Western art and the cultural attitudes that various images of women reflect.