ARTH 398 - Animated Bodies, Lively Things

Material objects act on all of us. Dramatic images can be emotionally persuasive, the pose of a statue can alter how we hold our own bodies, and architecture dictates how we negotiate space. In all these ways (and many others), objects act on us as lively things. This course will examine the blurred lines between humans and objects in order to broaden our understanding of the interactions between people and material culture during the period from 1450-1700, in Europe and the Americas. We will examine works of art that seemingly were alive, statues that spoke, reliquaries that healed, and automata that moved. Many of these objects presented enlivened female bodies in marble, wood, and paint, some of which miraculously seemed to bleed, cry, or even lactate. We will ask how these objects acted upon viewers, motivating, persuading, and moving them. Our ultimate goal will be to better understand the power of objects to address beholders.

Credits 1

Notes
Cross-listed with WGS 398.

Foundation
Beyond the West