Medieval Sculpture

This graduate seminar will take place almost exclusively in museum galleries in New York (and one weekend trip to the Boston area, date TBD), where we will study medieval sculpture through firsthand encounters with artworks. While engaging with classic and contemporary theoretical approaches to the medium, we will prioritize close examination of objects themselves. Starting with sculpture's ambivalent reception and its association with pagan idolatry, the course will explore how the formal, material, and phenomenal qualities inherent to the three-dimensional medium endowed sculpture with a unique ability to convey complicated theological precepts to the masses, elevate the drama of the liturgy, and conjure visionary experiences. Our study will encompass reliquaries, altarpieces, tombs, monumental architectural programs, and liturgical props, among other works.