"From Temples to Palaces, From Cathedrals to Church*:

A Journey through Art History Inspired by the Costiera Amalfitana" .

In this course students will study art history of the classical past of Greece and Rome as they are present in the area surrounding the Amalfi coast. Then they will examine how these classical examples influenced Christian art in buildings and architecture. But it is not just architecture that blossomed in this uniquely beautiful landscape. American artists of the 19 th century were drawn to Italy to experience both its antiquity and its picturesque landscape. Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, Frederick Church* and others lived here and sketched images of enduring beauty that have influence of how we think of this romantic part of the world. Besides visiting the sites on extended fieldtrips, students will hear slide lectures in the morning and work on powerpoints and group presentations in the afternoon as they relate to the material they experience.

Unit 1

The Greeks in Italy: It is not in Greece but in Italy, at Paestum, that the ancient Greeks built their first example of Archaic temple design. Students will study the Doric and Ionic Temple design, understand why the Temple of Hera is also called the “bacilica” and experience Paestum's ruins in a field trip.

Unit 2

The life in a Roman town: Because of a great disaster, the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 BCE, we can study in detail and in situ the life and art of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Students will study the typical townhouses for the wealthy of the early Roman Empire. Next they will experience how Romans decorated their villas with beautiful wall paintings that changed is style with the changing tastes of each generation. Topics include portrait painting, illusionism and still life. After visiting Pompeii they will produce a virtual tour of this site via their own photographic documentation.

Unit 3

Christianity symbolized in Stone: this unit will focus on the Romanesque cathedral of Amalfi- home to the crypt of St. Andrews. But the architectural history of this building will open up insights to the changing styles prominent in Italian church structures from basilicas to convents. Here we can also pursue the history of sarcophagi, marble, and mosaics.

Unit 4

Americans in Italy: 19 th century Hudson River School painters such as Thomas Cole and his student Frederick E. Church found inspiration in the ruins of Paestum and the colors and light of the Mediterranean sun. With the help of research students will familiarize themselves with the well known American images by Church, Cole, Iness, Gifford and others and then explore their roots in the Italian landscape these Americans used as their inspiration.

Instructor: Dr. Verena Drake

Hotchkiss Summer Arts Program