The goal of this seminar is to think in broad terms about notions of artistic creation and the status of the artist in the long Middle Ages (late antiquity to the early modern era). Using crafted works and images of artisanal activity as resonant documents and reading a wide range of primary sources – from technical and contractual documents to religious and secular literary works that evince attitudes towards artisans, their materials, processes, and products, we will examine conceptions of artistic labor as they evolved over time and across artistic cultures. Together we will come to terms with recent secondary literature on issues including medieval aesthetics, imagination and invention, materiality, technology, makers in myth and legend, artistic self-representation, and gender and craft. While the focus will be on the visual arts (painting, the sculpted image, metalwork), many of the issues to be treated are applicable to the fields of architecture, literature, and music. An interdisciplinary and intercultural approach will be fostered and participants from other fields are welcome.

Estimated cost of materials: less than $50.