U.C. Berkeley History of Art

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COURSES FALL 2007

Histart 262

GRADUATE SEMINAR: EUROPEAN ART "ECONOMIES OF ART IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE" (4 UNITS)
Tuesdays 11:00-2:00
425 Doe, CCN 05676
Elizabeth Honig

This seminar will comprise a series of case studies in the intersection of art, economic thinking, and commercial practice during the period of the rise of merchant capitalism and urbanization in Europe (c.1450-1700). We will look at how markets for art developed and expanded; how the value of artworks and artistic labor was determined; how merchant or middle-class identity was reflected in the aesthetic of images and the way they were acquired, collected, and displayed; how the development of international trade affected the production and marketing of art; how buildings in cities were created or adapted to house economic activities; and how the status of the artwork and its maker were affected by new mechanisms of market evaluation. We will also consider the persistance of pre-mercantile means of acquiring and valuing artworks, asking which type of economy most benefited artists. Readings will include studies of Florence, Venice, Rome, Antwerp, Madrid (and the Spanish New World), Amsterdam, Delft, and London. After 9 weeks of joint class reading, students taking the course for 4 units will be asked to develop an independent research project and write a 20-25 page paper, to be shared with the rest of the class. Offered for 2 or 4 units.
NOTE: There will be a reading assighment for the first class meeting. The readings will be available in the AHC library a week before classes start. Please contact the instructor for details.