Spring 2005/Pasadena
TC519
Buturain Schneider
TC519: THEOLOGY AND THE ART OF DEVOTION. Leah Buturain Schneider.
DESCRIPTION:
- This course explores the use of imagery in devotional practices
during pre-Reformation northern Europe. The practices that accompanied these
religious objects range from private devotion (prayer books, rosary beads, wood
carvings on pamphlets) to liturgical worship (sculptures on altarpieces).
Exploring the interdependence of biblical verses and pictorial stories will be
a means by which we study the use of Christian imagery as aids to prayer with,
for many, the desire of union with God in imageless contemplation.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- A historical foundation for the use of religious imagery in
pre-Reformation worship enriches one's own critical thinking about iconic and
aniconic conceptualizations. Moreover, gaining an appreciation for the
kinesthetic aspect of devotion can provide a visual context for both present
practice and future innovations.
COURSE FORMAT:
- The course will meet weekly for three-hour sessions The first half
of the course will be taught with lectures followed by small group discussion
of a particular religious object. In the second half of the term, the
instructor will engage members of the class to research a painting or object,
making connections between the devotional object or image and the theology of
its time.
REQUIRED READING:
- CD available from Fuller bookstore containing portions from the
following: Casey, Michael. Fully Human, Fully Divine. Liguori
Publications, 2004 . Dillenberger, Jane. Style & Content in Christian
Art. Crossroad, 1986.
- Drury, John. Painting the Word: Christian Pictures and their
Meanings. Yale University Press, 1999.
- Finaldi, Gabriele. The Image of Christ. London: National Gallery
Company Ltd., 2000.
- Os, Henk van. The Art of Devotion in the Late Middle Ages in Europe,
1300-1500. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994. (On
Reserve.)
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Ainsworth, Maryan W. From Van Eyck to Bruegel: Early
Netherlandish Painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998. (Selected Essays On Reserve.)
- Alexander, J.J.G. The Master of Mary of Burgundy. A Book of Hours for
Engelbert of Nassau. New York: George Braziller, 1970.
- A Kempis, Thomas. The Imitation of Christ. Nashville: T. Nelson,
1981.
- Clifton, James. The Body of Christ in the Art of Europe and New Spain,
1150-1800. With essays by David Nirenberg and Linda Elaine Neagley. Munich:
Prestel, 1997. (On Reserve.)
- Dillenberger, Jane. Image & Spirit in Sacred & Secular Art.
New York: Crossroad, 1990.
- Ferguson, George. Signs and Symbols in Christian Art. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1958.
- Hornik, Heidi and Mikeal Parsons, Eds. Interpreting Christian Art:
Reflections on Christian Art. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2003.
- Ruusbroec, John. The Spiritual Espousals and Other Works. New York:
Paulist Press, 1985.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- Course work will be evaluated on the following basis: Two papers
of 8-10 pages on a specific work of art, one presented to the class during the
final week.
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.