ARTH 6350 - [Faces of Power]

(crosslisted)
(also ARKEO 7450, CLASS 7751, MEDVL 6350)

4 credits.

Next offered 2014-2015. Co-meets with ARKEO 4450/ARTH 4350/CLASS 4751/MEDVL 4350/VISST 4350.

B. Anderson.

The installation and dissemination of portraits of living political leaders (“rulers”) is frequently perceived as a hallmark of twentieth-century regimes, especially those labeled as “totalitarian” or “dictatorial.” Likewise, the mockery or destruction of these monuments is seen as a potent act of political resistance. These phenomena, together with the related concept of “propaganda,” have exerted a strong influence on the interpretation of pre-modern ruler portraits. This course will encourage students to think critically about visual cultures of political rule and to develop an account of the distinctions between ancient, medieval, and modern modalities of ruler portraiture and its reception. Our primary case studies will be the late Roman / Byzantine and Soviet states, with ample comparative material drawn from other polities.