080125 SE Art, Patronage, and the "Macedonian Renaissance" in Byzantium (867-1025) (2025S)

The seminar aims to explore the artistic production of the so-called "Macedonian Renaissance" in Byzantium, taking into consideration architecture, painting, and sculpture, as well as portable arts and manuscript illumination. We will re-evaluate the historiographical construction that has defined this phase of Byzantine art, highlighting its many facets: the revival of classical antiquity alongside that of the golden age of Early Byzantium, the appreciation of visual models from the East as well as of those from the West, and the creation of new iconographies. The main phases will be traced, from the end of iconoclasm with the reinstatement of the cult of images by Basil I (867-886), until the reign of Basil II (976-1025) when, in conjunction with the greatest territorial expansion of the empire in the Middle Byzantine era, different stylistic trends emerged.
The course will include active student participation in discussions on the topics covered, independent critical analysis of selected monuments or artworks, and their presentation in oral and written form.