Cloisters: Medieval Art & Architecture

• PHOTOS

Hidden away at the top of Manhattan in Fort Tryon Park is one of the jewels of the city-- the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of Medieval art and architecture of Western Europe. The collection consists not only of objects but also of a cloister garden, assembled from pieces gathered at sites across Europe in the twentieth century. 

Our three hour seminar here will introduce both the art and architecture of medieval Latin Christendom within the intellectual context of the people for whom they were made. In the company of our docent, a specialist on Medieval art, we will examine a number of different kinds of objects (religious and secular) including paintings, altarpieces, carved ivories, gold and silver, stained glass, illuminated manuscripts and sculpture. And, of course, we will linger within the lovely cloisters themselves and discuss the architecture of Medieval Europe.

The purpose of the seminar is twofold--to train our eyes to look at objects closely and carefully

Hidden away at the top of Manhattan in Fort Tryon Park is one of the jewels of the city-- the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of Medieval art and architecture of Western Europe. The collection consists not only of objects but also of a cloister garden, assembled from pieces gathered at sites across Europe in the twentieth century. 

Our three hour seminar here will introduce both the art and architecture of medieval Latin Christendom within the intellectual context of the people for whom they were made. In the company of our docent, a specialist on Medieval art, we will examine a number of different kinds of objects (religious and secular) including paintings, altarpieces, carved ivories, gold and silver, stained glass, illuminated manuscripts and sculpture. And, of course, we will linger within the lovely cloisters themselves and discuss the architecture of Medieval Europe.

The purpose of the seminar is twofold--to train our eyes to look at objects closely and carefully in order to understand both form and function and also to recognize themes in Christian religious art that repeat themselves in different styles in different periods.