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The Power of the Real in Seventeenth-Century Spanish Painting & Sculpture - HOA00053I

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  • Department: History of Art
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Cordula Van Wyhe
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: I
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
    • See module specification for other years: 2021-22

Module summary

The semblance of art and reality was a recurring concern for seventeenth-century artists and theorists. Consequently, art historians have long tried to grapple with, what has been variously termed, the “life-like effect”, “photographic quality”, “verisimilitude”, “illusionism” and “optical trickery” of seventeenth-century painting and sculpture.

This module will take Spanish sculpture and painting as a case study to explore the wider conceptual and methodological challenges of the power of the real.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching cycle
A Spring Term 2022-23

Module aims

The semblance of art and reality was a recurring concern for seventeenth-century artists and theorists. Consequently, art historians have long tried to grapple with, what has been variously termed, the 'life-like effect', 'photographic quality', 'verisimilitude', 'illusionism' and 'optical trickery' of seventeenth-century painting and sculpture.

This module will take Spanish sculpture and painting as a case study to explore the wider conceptual and methodological challenges of the power of the real. Seventeenth-century Spain is often referred to as 'Golden Age Spain'. Despite grave challenges to Spain's power in the international arena of politics and commerce, the literary and visual arts and architecture flourished to an unprecedented degree. The artistic trends which dominated image-making in Seville at the turn of the seventeenth century are generally considered the bedrock of what scholars have termed, 'the art of immediacy', or 'naturalism in' Spain. For example, Spanish sculptors such as Pedro de Mena, Juan de Mesa and Juan Marti­nez Montanes achieved new life-like effects in their polychrome sculptures, while painters such as Francisco Zurbaran and Diego Velazquez, who both had strong links to Seville, produced several canonical pieces whose hallmark is their power of illusion.

'Realism' is always a relative term, because its meaning is informed by the practises of a specific culture. This module will engage with the important methodological problems that surround the privileged explanatory category of 'realism' for seventeenth-century painting and sculpture in Spain. We will investigate the wide variety of pictorial, thematic and conceptual strategies in close relation to contemporary texts and modern, scholarly theoretical writings.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should have acquired:

  • Familiarity with major artists and artistic genres in seventeenth-century Spain.
  • An appreciation of the historical relativity of the 'real' in early modern Spanish society.
  • Knowledge of a range of methodological approaches that have been applied to the 'veristic appeal' of seventeenth-century painting and sculpture and an ability to critique those methodologies.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
The Power of the Real Assessed Essay		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
The Power of the Real Assessed Essay		 N/A 100

Module feedback

You will receive feedback on assessed work within the timeframes set out by the University - please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.

The purpose of feedback is to help you to improve your future work. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further, you are warmly encouraged to meet your Supervisor during their Office Hours.

Indicative reading

  • Bray, X. (et. al.), The Sacred Made Real. Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600-1700, ex. cat. National Gallery, London 2009.
  • Alcolea, S., Zurbarán, Barcelona 2008.
  • Webster, Susan Verdi, Art and Ritual in Golden-Age Spain, Princeton, 1998.
  • García Sanz, Ana, El Niño Jesú en el Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Madrid, 2010.
  • Colón Mendoza, I., The Cristo yacentes of Gregorio Fernández, Farham, 2015.
  • Tiffany, Tanya, Diego Velázquez’s early paintings and the culture of seventeenth-century Seville, Pennsylvania, 2012.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.