Undergraduate Course: Antichrist, Apocalypse, and the End of Time in Medieval Art (HIAR10033)
Course Outline
| School |
School of Arts, Culture and Environment |
College |
College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
20 |
| Home subject area |
History of Art |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None
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Taught in Gaelic? |
No |
| Course description |
During the Middle Ages and beyond, the Book of Revelation, or Apocalypse, was the most influential book of the Bible, both ideologically and artistically. This course will examine the tradition of Apocalypse illustration and commentary from the tenth through the fifteenth centuries in Spain, England, and France. We will be especially interested in the mysterious figure of Antichrist, as well as endtime roles assigned to the various enemies of Christendom: Jews, Muslims, Mongols, and Black Africans. Seminars will combine image analysis with discussion of original source materials ranging from theological commentaries to medieval plays. By examining illuminated manuscripts such as the visionary Morgan Beatus, the regal Douce Apocalypse, and the terrifying Livre de la Vigne de Nostre Seigneur (Book of Our Lord's Vineyard), we will discover how medieval Christian artists and patrons relied on the Apocalypse and the legends of Antichrist as filters through which to view and to make sense of their own enemies, conflicts, and catastrophes. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| By the end of the course, students will have detailed knowledge of eschatological traditions in medieval Western art and thought. They will have read and critiqued a range of both primary and secondary sources across an interdisciplinary range of literature (art historical, literary, and theological). They will have engaged with medieval imagery in a variety of media, and will have an especially good grasp of apocalyptic pictorial traditions in illuminated manuscripts. From experience gained in seminars, they will have acquired skills in formal and cultural analysis that may be applied to their subsequent study of other art historical genres and periods at an advanced level. |
Assessment Information
| 1 two-hour examinaton paper (50%) and 1 extended essay (50%) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords |
Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Mr Michael Bury
Tel: (0131 6)50 4113
Email: K.M.Bury@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Mrs Sue Cavanagh
Tel: (0131 6)51 1460
Email: Sue.Cavanagh@ed.ac.uk |
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