Author Archives: Sandra Cheng
Discussion Topic: Pilgrimages Then and Now
The Pilgrimage Route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain was important to the religious, economic, and cultural development of the later Middle Ages. According to the 12th-century Pilgrim’s Guide, people traditionally followed one of four routes through France to visit … Continue reading
Discussion Topic: A Medieval Monastery Rises in the 21st Century
This week you will explore a plan from the 9th century for a monastery. The St. Gall monastery plan incorporated a vision of an ideal monastic environment for monks who followed the Rule of St. Benedict. Consider the daily life of … Continue reading
Announcement: NEW DATE FOR EXAM #1
A reminder that Exam #1 is re-scheduled until TUESDAY OCTOBER 9TH, 11:30 AM SHARP. Please ARRIVE EARLY, the test is timed to a series of slides. If you come late, you will miss the slide identification section (Part I) and … Continue reading
Discussion Topic: How Evil was Commodus?
You may have heard of the gladiator-obsessed Roman Emperor Commodus (reign 180-192 AD) made infamous in the movie Gladiator. Read sections 9-11 of the Life of Commodus in Lampridius’s biography Historia Augusta. Write a 100-word interpretation of the Roman portrait bust of Commodus as … Continue reading
Homework: What’s wrong with this video on Polykleitos’ Doryphorous?
Watch the following excerpt from the BBC on Polykleitos’ canon. Given what you know about the contrapposto, what mistake does the narrator make in reference to the Doryphorous?
Discussion Topic: Ancient Greek Men and Today’s Man
Polykleitos’ Doryphoros (c.450-440) is regarded as an example of the ideal Greek male. Read the famous funeral oration given by Pericles, leader of Athens, during the Peloponnesian War. Highlight one trait of manliness in Pericles’ speech and discuss how … Continue reading
Discussion Topic: Can you recycle art?
Who makes art? Who owns art? These are some of the questions we’ll discuss here and in class. See how to different contemporary artists recycle images to produce art. Do you consider this art? Please submit posts/comments by Saturday 9/8 … Continue reading
Welcome!
Hello ARTH 1103 students! Welcome to the course website for Professor Sandra Cheng’s course of the Survey of Art History. Our section will operate differently from the other sections of the course. The web is an integral component to our class … Continue reading
