What is beauty? A quality of fragile things? Or a manifestation of something transcendent? Is beauty human, divine—or both? This seminar will take up these questions by exploring the great works—and intense debates—inspired by the encounter between Christianity and beauty. We will consider the tensions and paradoxes that arise when artists work with religious subject matter, how Christianity’s central claims expand conventional aesthetics categories, and how secular artists respond to these expressions and developments. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
