ART 331 - Seminar in Northern European Art

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Topic for 2025/26a: Art in the Time of War. Convulsed by religious, political, and economic disruption, the early modern world was plagued by war. The relationship between war and art is fraught: the destructive nature of armed conflict stands in opposition to the creative nature of art. This seminar examines art in the time of early modern war (16th and 17th centuries) in northern Europe. Art was at the center of these conflicts: iconoclasts destroyed it, soldiers looted it, governments censored it, and leaders deployed it for propagandistic gain. We analyze the role of the artist during the major conflicts of the era, the horrific and quotidian subject matters of war, the rise in new military technologies, the portrayals of soldiers and their violence towards civilians, and the proliferation of images of peace. Rachel Wise.

Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: CLS