Cultural History of the Visual Arts I.
Art, Culture, Politics
Ilona Sármány-Parsons
Fall Term 2003
History Department
The course is intended to give an overview of the main cultural and artistic trends in painting and
architecture from the mid-eighteenth century to the late nineteenth century, concentrating on the
changing role of the arts and artist in society. The focus will be on artistic production in its social and
cultural contexts, enabling the relationship of art to politics, ideas and social structures to be analysed
in some depth.
The lectures will cover differing interpretations of culture and cultural history.
By using classic works of scholarship, as well as current discussions of problems of style and context,
the lectures will address the main stylistic trends of the ages discussed: Baroque, Classicism,
Romanticism, Historicism, Realism and Modernism.
The course has two main aims: The first is to adress the different methodologies of cultural history, and
to discuss various types of conceptual frameworks for interpretation, including formal-stylistic,
aesthetic, historical, ideological, political, sociological and gender-based. These methodologies and
frameworks are intended to stimulate the development of an analytical and critical approach toward the
problems of interpreting the arts in their social context.
The second aim of the course is to develop the skill of identifying styles and their developments and to
provide a framework for the scholarly analysis of painting and architecture. Apart from the French ,
English and German intellectual and artistic mainstreams (e.g. Romanticism, Realism, Historicism),
special attention will be paid to the specifically Central European variations of period-styles. (e.g.
Biedermeier, Viennese Historicism etc. ). In particular the different social and institutional contexts
within which the artists of this region operated will be dealt with in detail.
Lectures will be illustrated with slides of art works, and readings from prose and poetry of the various
periods under discussion. There will also be a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts (Szépmüvészeti
Múzeum) which is intended to illustrate stylistic development in painting in Europe, and to the
Hungarian National Gallery.
The written assignment for the course will be an interpretative paper of 10-12 pages on one of the
topics that have been covered. A paragraph of about one hundred words describing the proposed
research topic should be submitted by November 1. In addition there will be a test in which students
are expected to recognise the main works of art shown during the lectures.
Students who have not recently refreshed their knowledge of European history are encouraged to read
the following:
Kevin Wilson and Jan van der Dusen (eds) The History of the Idea of Europe
London, New York, 1993. 1-83.
Norman Davies: Europe - A History. Oxford, New York , 1996.
587- 854.
or alternatively:
Eric Hobsbawm: The Age of Revolution 1789-1849. London, 1962.
Eric Hobsbawm: The Age of Capital, 1848-1875. London, 1975.
Students who are unfamiliar with the general stylistic history of the arts in Europe
are warmly encouraged to read before embarking on the course:
Jan Gympel: History of Architecture. Cologne 1996. pp. 1-70.
Ernst H. Gombrich: The Story of Art . London, 1950- 1998.
- the chapters on European art up to page 360.
or alternatively:
Hugh Honour and John Fleming: A World History of Art. London 1982 - the chapters on European
Art: Nr. 4,5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14.
Syllabus of the lectures
3. October (Friday)
Introduction to art history as an aspect of cultural history . A survey of the evolution of styles in
Europe up to the end of the 18th century. Part I.
Reading: Frances Haskell: History and its Images. New Haven 1993.
chapter 7. pp.
E. H. Gombrich: The Story of Art. London, 1994. pp3-18.
Eric Fernie (ed.) Art History and its Methods. London, 1995. pp.10-21.
plus the chapters on Winckelmann , pp. 68-76., J. Burckhardt,
pp.85-91. A. Riegl, pp.116-126, Heinrich Wölfflin, pp. 127-153.
10. October
The concept of the evolution of styles. Historicism and art history.
A survey of the evolution of styles in Europe. Part II. (Stylistic periodization of the Baroque, its
regional variants and its various "Weltanschauungen".) Discussion of the concept of this "Spirit of the
age"
Reading: E. H. Gombrich: The Story of Art, London, 1989. Chapters: 19-22 .
Hugh Honour and John Fleming: A Worl History of Art. London,
1982. pp. 426-459.
M. Brusatin and G. Pizzamiglio (ed.): The Baroque in Central Europe
Venice 1992. (the illustrations)
Kenneth Clark: Civilisation: London 1969. Chapters: 7- 9.
Patrick Nuttgens: The Story of Architecture. London, 1993.
Chapter 15.pp 196-213.
17. October
The Enlightenment; art in the age of reason . Changes in perception and in the relationship of the artist
to his patrons and the public; the new didactic quality of art, new forms of publicity, changes in taste.
The gradual emergence of (neo-) Classicism.
Readings: Eric Fernie (ed.): Art History and its Methods, Chapter on
Winckelmann and Goethe.
E. H. Gombrich: The Story of Art. London, 1989. Chapter 23, 24.
Kenneth Clark: Civilisation. London, 1969. Chapter 10.
H. Honour and John Fleming: A World History of Art. London 1982,
pp. 475-479.
Hugh Honour: Neo-Classicism. London 1968. ( optional)
24. October
Changes in architecture, town-planning and urbanism generally at the end of the eighteenth century.
Visions, utopias and the political symbolism of architecture. Revolutionary architecture and the coming
of architectural romanticism. The emergence of stylistic pluralism, regional differences and
preferences.
Reading: Patrick Nuttgens: The Story of Architecture. London 1993. Chapter 16.
(The Prophets of Elegance)
Mark Girouard: Cities and People. London, 1985. Chapter 9, 10, 11.
Henry Russel Hitchcock: New York 1977. Chapter 1-5.
31. October
Art and Politics in the early 19th century : Cassicism and Romanticism. The new social position of the
arts and the cult of the artist as genius. The national variants of Romanticism, its stylistic richness and
its main leitmotifs.
Reading: E. H. Gombrich: The Story of Art, pp. 383-402.
Kenneth Clark: Civilization. Chapter 11-12.
Ch. Baudelaire: What is Romanticism? (see in the reader)
Hugh Honour and John Fleming: A World History of Art, Chapter 15.
R. Rosenblum and H.W. Janson: Art of the Nineteenth Century.
London, 1984. pp. 50-66. 74-89. 114-186.
Optional reading: William Vaughan: Romantic Art. London, 1978.
Hugh Honour: Romanticism. 1979.
7. November
German Romanticism, Biedermeier and its influence in Central-Europe. Herder´s influence. Regional
developments in the visual arts in Central Europe in the first half of the nineteenth century: the making
of the nation through culture: national symbols and myths, the cult of peasants. "National revivals" in
literature and the fine arts in Central Europe. Romantic Historicism.
Reading: Fritz Novotny: Painting and Sculpture in Europe 1780-1880. London,
1971. pp. 195-219,
Lonnie R. Johnson: Central Europe, New York, Oxford. 1996. Chapter
Chapter 7: pp124-148.
(optional readings according to different lierature in your
mother tongue.)
14. November
Historicism as a basic cultural "Weltanschauung" of the nineteenth century.
Historicism in architecture - contradiction between form and function.
Engineering and the pioneers of modern architecture and design. Conservative utopias and conservative
reformers (Ruskin, Morris) The birth of "Bohemia",
the new role of the art establishments and the "Bildungsbürger" ideal of culture.
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood .
Reading: H. Russell Hitchcock: Architecture: Chapter 6, pp 144-190.
Mark Girouard: Cities and People. Chapter 12-14. pp. 257-300.
Nicholas Pevsner: The sources of Modern Architecture and Design.
London 1968.
R. Rosenblum and Janson: Art of the Nineteenth Century. ..
pp. 255- 269.
21. November
Paris the art capital of the world. - world exhibitions and their special function in European culture differences between the countries and regions of Europe regarding their public and social attitude
towards the arts. The age of realism.
Different national versions of bourgeois realism. The official art world and the marginalized art groups.
The growing autonomy of the arts. Stylistic pluralism and the search for a new aesthetics. Manet, "the
painter of modern life."
Reading: R. Rosenblum and H.W. Janson: Art of the Nineteenth Century...
pp.218-278.
Linda Nochlin: Realism. Harmondsworth, London. 1990. pp13-56.
Fritz Novotny: Painting and Sculpture in Europe. 1780-1880.
Harmondsworth, 1971. pp. 257-274, 277-297
Richard R. Brettel: Modern Art 1851-1929 . Oxford,1999. pp. 59-78.
28. November
Impressionism in context and the various new approaches to it. Style and subject matter. Urban culture
and a new cult of nature. The problems of patronage and the role of art criticism in establishing a new
canon.
Reading: R. Rosenblum and Janson: Art of the Nineteenth Century. pp.296-305,
326- 380.
H. Honour and J. Fleming: A World History of Art. 520-528.
Timothy J. Clark: The Painting of Modern Life. pp. 49-50. (reader)
Linda Nochlin: Women, Art and Power. pp. 1-36. (reader)
5. Decembre
Art in Paris in the 1880ies: stylistic pluralism ( Symbolism, Neo-Impressionism, Naturalism and the
beginnings of Post-Impressionism). The crisis of positivism and its effects on the art world. The
different national art centres and the development of the art market. The leading masters of the age
(e.g.Rodin, Leighton, Watts, Whistler)
Gender and art – class and art.
Reading: R. Rosenblum and Janson: Art of the... 326-381, 394-416. 476-484.
H. Honour and J. Fleming: A world History of Art. pp 528- 538.
Linda Nochlin: The Politics of Vision. London 1991. pp. 170-193.
F. Frascina, N. Blake (et al.): Modernity and Modernism. pp.3-32
12. December
Discussion of the seminar papers. I.
19. December
Discussion of the seminar papers II. Test : Identification of works (Paitings and buildings ) discussed
during the fall-term