Stephen
- MA in History of Art (full-time)
- MA student representative
What are your research interests / what are you working on?
"My research interests are actually pretty wide-ranging, but usually I am interested in the ways that religion and all that comes with it (the sacred, ritual, ceremonial), power (political, spiritual, etc.), and architecture come together. I am also interested in aspects of the sacred in relation to painting, materiality, spatial studies, and theoretical discourse. Time period-wise, I have gravitated between around 300AD - 1700 AD, and I've worked on objects as diverse as relics and paintings and buildings from the Arena Chapel to the Taj Mahal. Lately I've been spending more time in the Baroque period, however. Country-wise, Spain is my intellectual muse. I am also heavily interested in Islamic art and architecture, hence the work on the Taj Mahal.
I am currently working on my MA thesis on Claudio Coello's painting La Sagrada Forma in the Escorial and issues of kingship and royal power, tradition, personal devotion, and pictorial/architectural unity."
What modules have been most fascinating and why?
All of the modules have been fascinating in their own way, but I'd probably have to say that the Early Modern Habsburg Women and Their Material Legacy module and the Sir Christopher Wren module were the two major standouts - mostly because they gave me the foundations that I needed to jump into my current work.
What background do you come to HoA from and why HoA?
"For my undergrad, I went to Ohio Wesleyan University, where I double majored in Fine Arts (History of Art) and History, with a minor in Zoology. I started as a science nerd, which I can still be at times, but I realized that I am more of a humanities person overall. Plus, I've always loved buildings and museums, and I love to write, and so I figured that it would be a good fit for me. If I wasn't an art historian, I would be a writer, probably of the arts anyway."
Why York rather than somewhere else?
"Originally, I came to York as a medievalist, intending to do work on Spanish Mozarabic architecture. But, life has a funny way of changing course when you think you know yourself through and through, and so, here I am making my way as a historian of the early modern. I chose York specifically because I wanted to go abroad, and my professors at OWU had connections here and thought it would be a good fit. It was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made."
What do you feel is the most important thing you will take away from your experience at York?
"I learned how to work hard here. I know that working hard is one of those cop-out answers in general, but I really did learn what works and what doesn't when you have to read several books a week for a class, and how to process immense amounts of information for papers. The other major skill that I picked up was how to think about buildings - something that I thought I knew how to do until I met the architectural historians here. I guess the most important thing I could say is just to listen to what the tutors here have to say - if you really listen, you'll learn a lot."
How has your experience at York broadened your horizons as an art historian?
"York has introduced me to living abroad, to the early modern period in general, and to working with high-level theory, which I didn't have as an undergrad due to the small size of my department. York has definitely done the fine detailing on my identity as an art historian, and as a historian in general."
Do you find there’s a strong group atmosphere among the students?
"Any department is really what you make of it, but having said that, York's atmosphere (as a whole) is intensely friendly. The MA students in general banded together right from the start, and we have not stopped mixing work with fun ever since. We are a tight-knit group because we are all completely devoted to what we study and to the feelings we get when we go to museums, talk about art, etc. We just generally get along!"
What’s the level of support like from staff and the department as a whole, are they receptive to feedback?
"The professors here are fantastic. And so is Susanna Broom, our administrator. Really, I couldn't ask for better support from all levels, and every professor I have talked to has been willing to help or listen to my concerns (though there haven't been many)."
Do you have an idea of how you’ll use your degree/plans for the future?
"I really want to teach and to write (non-academically, though academic writing is rewarding in its own way too), so I'll probably use my degree to find a combination of the two."
