TAD2125/TAD2135*

The Mediterranean and its visual culture

Note: Incurs substantial travel and accommodation costs which are to be paid by the student to the tour provider.
TAD2125: 6 points - 104 hours of lectures, tutorials and site visits on locations in Europe and 52 hours of independent study - Third semester - Caulfield - Prerequisites: TAD1101 and TAD1102 - Corequisites: none - Prohibited combinations: TAD2135 - Elective - May be taken as an elective subject by students of any faculty including art and design
TAD2135: 8 points - 130 hours of lectures, tutorials, and site visits on locations in Europe and 78 hours of independent study - Third semester - Caulfield - Prerequisites: TAD1101 and TAD1102, or permission of the subject coordinator - Corequisites: none - Prohibitions: TAD2125 - Elective - May be taken as an elective subject by students of any faculty except art and design

Objectives On the successful completion of this course students will be able to identify in detail pivotal examples of art and design which have influenced European visual culture; identify and describe major Mediterranean locations in which Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Schwarbian and Baroque development have taken place; critically comment on works in several major collections of art, a range of important archaeological rites and a variety of architectural forms from different periods; participate in critical evaluation of the styles, concepts, cultural contents and values of selected examples of art and design; refer to documentation in a research journal which catalogues their critical and analytic responses to what they have seen; recognise and understand how art, architecture, space and even cities work as documents of events; perceive and experience the deeper level of European art rather than to study it second hand; and identify ways in which Mediterranean culture continues to influence art and design practice.

Synopsis This course traces the development of Greek, Romans, Byzantine and Arab culture around the Mediterranean. The program explores the archaeological sites surrounding early Greek settlement and the relationship between these and the Greek mainland. It looks at the legacy of Roman and Byzantine occupation, the impact of Arab culture and the developments of the Normans, Schwarbians, Angevins, Ottomans and Spanish in the changing social, political and artistic mix of Mediterranean countries. Historic developments are traced through the legacy of the vast visual cultures which have survived them. Some of the grandest examples of European art and architecture testify to the splendour and power of the cultures that controlled the Mediterranean and these continue to influence art and design practice today. Places visited includes Palermo, Cefalu, Monreale, Agrigento, Silinunte, Enna, Piazza Armerina, Syracuse, Taormina, Messina, Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Tivoli and Rome.

Assessment TAD2125: Two written assignments (1250 words each): 50% - Research book (2000 words): 50%
Assessment TAD2135: One essay (3000 words): 50% - Research book (3000 words): 50%

Recommended texts

Ahmed A A History of Islamic Sicily Edinburgh University Press, 1975
Blunt A Southern baroque revisited Any edn
Boardman J The Greeks overseas London, 1980
Demus O The Mosaics of Norman Sicily London, 1949
Finley M, Mack Smith D and Duggan C A History of Sicily Chatto and Winds, 1986

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