The course will introduce the history of Czech art from the advent of Christianity to the late Renaissance (end of the
16th century). Emphasis will be placed especially on European context: the reception of foreign forms and
designs, their development in the Bohemian and Moravian environment, as well as dissemination of the concepts
with Czech origin back to Europe. Attention will be paid to both iconographic and formal issues of the art as well as
its social context. The aim of the course is to offer a general overview of the visual culture of medieval and
renaissance Czech lands accessible even to these students who do not have to have a deeper knowledge of
Czech history and affairs. Art production will, therefore, be conceived primarily in a comparative way with regard to
the current way of presentation of these artefacts and monuments and the issue of their interpretation within the
contemporary art historical discourse. An integral part of the course will be excursions to Prague's galleries and
other monuments, where participants will have selected works of art from the autopsy and discuss their form and
contemporary presentation.
Poslední úprava: Mgr. Eva Beranová (17.07.2019)
The course is intended as an introduction to visual culture of pre-modern Europe. During each
session, we will analyse various types of images and discuss their social and religious
background. The aim of the course is to demonstrate connections between art and the society in wider anthropological perspective. The participants
should learn about the background of different pre-modern visual traditions, many of them also present in the
modern culture. Moreover, they should learn how visual sources could be used to enrichen our understandingof the society.
Syllabus:
1) Medium is the message
Medieval "art", its transmisssion and functions
2) Body of Christ
Eucharistic cult and miraculous depictions of Christ
3) Jewish sow
Rise of anti-judaism and its visual representations
4) Everyday Hell
Depiction of Hell and everyday morality
5) In Praise of Folly
Fools and their function in visual art
6) Power of women
Gender in pre-modern society and images of strong women and weak men
7) Love hurts
Medieval concept of love and its visual representation
8) Medieval obscenities
Scatology and sexuality in pre-modern art and their function
9) Rise of the living dead
Ghosts and other revenants, triumph of death
10) Naughty priests
Critics of church, reformation, antireformation and their propaganda
11) Good king Wenceslas
National saints and their role in pre-modern society
12) Baby Jesus
Changing depictions of Christmas story and Jesus' youth
13) Final test
Sylabus
Poslední úprava: Mgr. Eva Beranová (17.07.2019)
Syllabus:
1) Structures - geography, religion, people
2) Romanesque beginnings
3) Late Romanesque or Early Gothic?
4) Linear style
5) Art and court of Charles IV.
6) Beautiful style
7) Art and the Hussite revolution
8) Late Gothic art
9) New inspirations - Renaissance vs. Gothic
10) Older and new traditions
11) Excursion: Agnes Cloister
12) Excursion: Strahov Monastery
Podmínky zakončení předmětu
Poslední úprava: Mgr. Eva Beranová (17.07.2019)
The course will be finished by a written exam, which will check both the knowledge of the basic facts and the visual forms presented during the course. For participation in the lectures and discussions, students will be able to obtain bonuses for the final exam - these are not necessary for the successful completion of the course. In individual cases, students can also opt for an essay as an alternative form for attestation. Such essays will be based on selected literature
Studijní opory
Poslední úprava: Mgr. Eva Beranová (17.07.2019)
Taťána Petrasová and Rostislav Švácha (edd.), Art in the Czech Lands 800-1200, Prague: Arbor Vitae 2017, pp. 1-441
Barbara Drake Boehm and Jiří Fajt (edd.), Prague: the Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art 2005
Kateřina Horníčková and Michal Šroněk (edd.), From Hus to Luther Visual Culture in the Bohemian Reformation (1380-1620), Turnhout: Brepols 2006
Jan Royt, Medieval Painting in Bohemia, Prague: Karolinum Press 2002
Jan Klípa and Vít Vlnas (edd.), Open the gates of Paradise. The Benedictines in the heart of Europe 800-1300, Prague: National Gallery 2015
