Art history - what is a masterpiece?
The notion of the masterpiece is one of the most widely used in everyday vocabulary, and generally designates a production considered as an ultimate and perfect achievement, endowed with universal resonance, in the field of artistic creation: La Joconde de Vinci, Hamlet de Shakespeare ou Le Penseur de Rodin among other examples.
Its contemporary extensions are abundant, and we can speak metaphorically of a sporting action, a mathematical demonstration or an entire existence as a "masterpiece", but the term nevertheless remains spontaneously attached to the aesthetic field.
Philosophical and semantic reflections on this term and what it covers have abounded since the 18th century, generally to "deconstruct" it to reveal a potentially abusive form of authority. They have also resulted in a monumental bibliography. In this seminar, we will attempt to reverse the usual, highly theoretical approach, and start from the objects themselves, usually considered "masterpieces" in the institutional framework and common perception, to detect the constituent elements that lead to this highly laudatory designation - and ultimately criticize them.
This approach will therefore be much more empirical and will enable us to familiarize ourselves with the methods of art history in the apprehension of its objects.
For each session, we'll take one or multiple case studies, following a chronological order, to gradually sketch out a general history of art (and painting in particular) in the modern West. These case studies will systematically stem from major public collections, to enable students to see the works in situ, at the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay or the Centre Pompidou.
Evaluation will take the form of an in-class presentation or a written or video report.
Among the studies, we'll tackle: Titian's Le Concert champêtre; Michelangelo's L'Esclave mourant; Vermeer's L'Astronome; David's Le Serment des Horace; Monet's La Gare Saint Lazare; Degas' Le Ballet...
Evaluation methods :
Evaluation will take the form of an in-class presentation or a written or video report and be based on reading notes, oral presentations, and attendance.
Course language: French
- Teaching coordinator: Coulet Lou
- Teaching coordinator: Schlesser Thomas