ARTH313

Art, Church, Society and their Margins in the Later Middle Ages
Students examine the diversification of the arts and architecture and the expansion of patronage in late medieval society in Medieval art in the later Middle Ages (c. 1150-1500). This era is characterized by a tremendous growth in the production of visual images and art of all kinds due to the greater range of people commissioning art for a wider range of purposes, especially as urban wealth increases. The course examines the impact on art and its meaning as new groups of laity–rich aristocrats, rulers, and the growing numbers of bourgeois–as well as a whole range of new religious orders and university teachers were involved in both viewing and commissioning works.