Instructor: Joseph Alchermes, Associate Professor of Art History, Director of Architectural Studies, Connecticut College
Dates: Tuesdays, 1 – 3 pm, November 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29
Fee: $125 members / $150 non-members
Course Overview
Working mainly with examples of medieval painting and sculpture, we will identify the key functions of images, sacred and profane, and analyze the aims of the patrons of these works as well as the effects the works had, first on their initial audiences and then on later viewers.
The holdings of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters will be highlighted. Offered as a December coda to the course is an optional group visit to The Cloisters.
Reservations
Advanced reservations are required. Please contact the Department of Learning & Engagement at 860.443.2545 ext. 2128 or donovan@lymanallyn.org.
Weekly classes will be held in Lyman Allyn’s Lehman Auditorium.
Images left to right: The Unicorn Rests in a Garden (from the Unicorn Tapestries), 1495–1505, made in Southern Netherlands, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Sainte Chapelle, Paris, France, 13th c.; Virgin and Child in Majesty, ca. 1175–1200, French, walnut with paint, tin relief on a lead white ground, and linen, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Joseph Alchermes’ main research interests range from the Roman and Early Christian world to the art and architecture of the Byzantine Empire with links to western Europe. He teaches a comparably broad array of courses, from the survey of ancient and medieval art to specialized investigations of Roman, eastern and western medieval, and Islamic art and architecture. Alchermes has published articles and book chapters on diverse topics such as art and architecture in the age of the Emperor Justinian, the urban scheme of medieval Constantinople, architectural reuse in Late Roman cities, settlements and land use in medieval Greece, and an essay and numerous entries in “The Glory of Byzantium,” the catalogue of a major exhibition held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Current projects include a book on ancient Naples and archaeological field work at several sites in southwestern mainland Greece.