This course examines the role of the visual arts and
architecture in nationalist ideologies.
The first part of the course is an introduction
into visual representation, style, iconography,
and symbolism. Examples used include a comparative
study of public and imperial imagery of ancient
Rome, Napoleonic Europe, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
The main part of the course focuses on subject
matter, idioms and aesthetics systems in official
architecture, public monuments and the fine
and decorative arts perceived as representative of a
nation's origins or cultural affiliation:
from revivalist idioms (Gothic to Renaissance and
Byzantine to Ottoman) to themes and idioms
drawing from history, myth and folklore. The lectures
will concentrate on case studies from
Central Europe and the Balkans, but will include an
overview of developments in the visual arts and architecture
of England, Germany, France, Russia, and Turkey.
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