ARTH 4351 - Problems in Byzantine Art

(crosslisted)
(also CLASS 4752, MEDVL 4351, NES 4351, RELST 4351, VISST 4351) (GHB) (HA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits.

Co-meets with ARTH 6351/CLASS 7752/MEDVL 6351/NES 6351/RELST 6351/VISST 6351.

B. Anderson

Topic for spring 2013: Byzantine iconoclasm
Byzantine iconoclasm is one of the most enigmatic phenomena in early medieval history. The eighth and ninth centuries witnessed a ferocious debate about the suitability of religious images and their role in worship. The ultimate “victory of the icons” was of decisive importance for the later development of Byzantine culture and Orthodox Christianity, but the origins and nature of the debate remain obscure. Was Byzantine society convulsed for a century by arguments about the nature of representation? Or did these arguments serve to mask a power struggle among elites and emperors? We will consider these questions from multiple viewpoints (art historical, social historical, theological, etc.) and also consider related trends in the early medieval West and the early Islamic world.