Fall 2013 and Winter 2014 quarters
- Faculty
- Suzanne Simons writing, journalism, sociology , Ann Storey art history
- Fields of Study
- aesthetics, art history, consciousness studies, cultural studies, history, religious studies and visual arts
- Preparatory for studies or careers in
- visual arts, education, religion, communication, international relations, history, writing
- Description
-
This two-quarter program will examine a thousand-year period of Christian and Islamic art, art history, poetry, and mysticism from roughly the 4th through 14th centuries. This was a singular period of creativity, spirituality, and change. We will study the motivating ideas and issues of the age: the dynamic influence of migrating tribal cultures on inherited classical traditions, the problem of iconoclasm, and Neoplatonic philosophy expressed through the visions of the mystics. The idea that both mystic and artist were "seers"—seeing beyond the physical into the transcendent and metaphysical—impelled them into visionary realms. We will learn about the mysticism of Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Sufi poets, and other charismatic figures as we see their visions expressed in superb mosaics, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, sculpture, calligraphy, sacred geometry, miniature painting, and sacred architecture of European Christendom and Islamic empires stretching from Spain to Central Asia. Sacred music of the era will be experienced through recordings and a possible field trip. Art workshops will enable students to move from theory to practice.
- Advertised Schedule
- 5:30-9p Tue/Thu
- Campus Location
- Olympia
- Online Learning
- Enhanced Online Learning
- Books
- Greener Store
- Required Fees
- $25 per quarter for museum and concert entrance fees
- Offered During
- Evening