Art History and Spirituality in Western Europe (CH2212Y)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

This unit investigates some of the ways in which visual images for example painting and sculpture reflected the spiritual characteristics and preoccupations of the Late Middle Ages, 1300-1500. After identifying the most important sacred stories and their chief personages, i.e. Jesus, the Virgin Mary and various saints, the unit examines the patrons and audience for these "images of salvation". What objects inspired devotion and how did these paintings, sculptures and other objects instruct the faithful in the mysteries of faith?

Unit code: CH2212Y

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 2

Unit discipline: Church History

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.

Identify the central iconographic themes of Christian art in the West c. 1300-1500
2.

Apply a critical ability to use the basic vocabulary of visual analysis and historical inquiry
3.

Analyse various lenses (historical, spiritual, theological) through which the interpreter views visual images

4.

Engage with a range of primary and secondary source material to develop a coherent argument

Pedagogy

synchronous lectures, class discussion, and class visit to the NGV International

Indicative Bibliography

  • Baxandall, Michael. Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
  • Clifton, James. The Body of Christ in the Art of Europe and New Spain, 1150-1800. Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1997.
  • Finaldi, Gabriele. The Image of Christ. London: National Gallery Company Ltd, 2000.
  • Jacobus, and William Granger Ryan. The Golden Legend: Readings on the Saints. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, n.d.
  • Katz, Melissa R. Divine Mirrors: The Virgin Mary in the Visual Arts. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
  • Marks, Richard. Image and Devotion in Late Medieval England. Stroud: Sutton Publishing Ltd, 2004.
  • Os, H.W. van. The Art of Devotion in the Late Middle Ages in Europe 1300-1500. Princeton, N.J. Princeton University Press, 1994
  • Woods, Kim W. (ed.) Art and Visual Culture: 1100-1600: Medieval to Renaissance. Millbank, London: Tate Publisher in association with Open University, 2012.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Material Culture Analysis (identification and description of artefacts)

Material Culture Analysis 1500 words

 1500 30.0
Essay

Essay 3,000 words

 3000 70.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 29 Aug, 2025

Unit record last updated: 2025-08-29 10:21:34 +1000