Art and Architecture of the Middle Ages, with Michael Farrell

Romanesque Sculpture, Sunday, December 6, 2009, 3:30 pm
Romanesque art was greatly influenced by Byzantine Art. The best-known surviving large sculptural work of Proto-Romanesque Europe is the wooden Crucifix of the Archbishop Gero of Cologne. During the 11th and 12th centuries, figurative sculpture flourished, as well as manuscript illumination and small-scale sculpture in ivory and metal.

Gothic Architecture, Sunday, January 24, 2010, 3:30 pm
Gothic architecture is most familiar in the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe. It is also the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls, and universities. Originating in 12th-century France and lasting into the 16th century, Gothic architecture was known during the period as "the French Style," with the term Gothic first appearing during the latter part of the Renaissance as a stylistic insult.

Gothic Sculpture and International Gothic, Sunday, February 7, 3:30 pm
Several types of sculpture are considered to be typical of the Gothic period, most notably the spectacular groups of figures around the portals of great cathedrals. These figures usually echo the long and graceful forms of the architecture. Gothic emphasis on dynamic line reveals the spirit of religious mysticism that dominated, with spires intended to reflect the reach heavenwards.