The topic that will be discussed for teaming teaching is: exploring the significance of object symbolism within Western Art. As an Italian Studies minor I have studied Renaissance Art and the way in which the painter places objects within his work to convey different meaning is extraordinary. It has enabled my creative mind to shine through and influenced great discussions on how to interpret what the artist might mean. This topic matters tremendously because it shows another way in which objects play such a large role in one’s society , the understanding of its people and ways of life from a historical perspective. This topic also raises so many questions about the artist’s intention of his work: What does he want the viewer to understand through the objects he paints? Are all objects meant to be symbolic within his painting? Can an object have multiple meanings behind it? Can objects serve to enable the viewer to see what’s not there or what’s in the distance? The questions are endless and I believe the more questions a painting gives us the more influential it serves to  its audience. This in turn enables the painting and the artist to be remembered and this may be a major reason for why the artist painted his piece.

                In our team teaching, Ally and I studied five paintings created during the Renaissance period and introduce them to our class. However we will start with an exercise of examining Vanitas works and pointing out what we see. This will allow the class to become comfortable with talking about art and we choose Vanitas paintings because many important objects are found within them. However these objects have a pessimistic meaning behind them and often convey themes of death, decay and temporary earthly pleasures. Indeed,  the term Vanitas is the Latin word for vanity and so this type of artwork possesses this idea that earthly objects are meaningless and only serve as temporary pleasure for the individual. Thus, Vanitas pieces  are symbolic paintings with different objects placed in the artwork that allows the reader to interpret the message or messages of the painting. This type of art work also incorporates the form of still life painting which was popular in Flanders and the Netherlands during the 1500s. Still life paintings are paintings that only have inanimate subject matter within them, whether they be natural objects or man-made ones. Introducing these terms and these types of paintings is a great way for students to see the significance of objects as symbolism in artwork during the Renaissance and examples of different objects and the meanings behind them.

                After we have a discussion about Vanitas art pieces we will talk about: Campin’s Merode Altarpiece, Van Eyck’s Arnolfini’s Portrait, Holbein’s Ambassadors, Aertsen’s  Butcher Stall, and Bronzino’s Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time paintings. All of these paintings have a vast amount of objects within them and symbolism behind those particular objects. Students will learn about the different symbolism behind objects such as: a mirror, a lute with a broken string, a mousetrap and the material clothing worn by subjects within the paintings. All of these things represent different ideas that the artist may have wanted his patron and viewer to comprehend about himself, his world around him or the religious world. Although most of these paintings were done during the Northern Renaissance Period, but the last one (Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time) will introduce the class to the Mannerist period and the characteristics that makes a painting a product of that time frame. We intend for students to not only understand the significance of object symbolism in Western Art, but also different religious ideas, historical background, and the way people lived and how they were influenced during the 1500s. Thus, students should comprehend that objects have phenomenal power in channeling in an entire time period.

                Lastly, Ally and I will go over the art historian’s role within material culture studies and how any form of art – whether it be paintings, sculptures or material artifacts, should be examined and understood by art historians. Michael Yonan’s article: Towards a Fusion of Art History and Material Culture Studies develops this idea that art historians are absent from material culture studies because many of them do not believe in objects being significant enough for intensive study. However  what they fail to realize is that a painting, that has tons of symbolism and value within it, is also an object – like ceramics, metalwork and carved wood. At the same time, paintings do not only have object symbolism that can aid in one’s understanding of its meaning but there are so many other factors one should take into consideration. For example the artist’s choice of medium can display much about the his intention for each component within his painting. Therefore, although object symbolism plays a tremendous role during the Renaissance, how large is its role in today’s world? How do other aspects of creative artwork serve in one’s understanding of the overall meaning the beholder intends for his audience? The fact of the matter is, one can never fully determine the specific reason or reasons why an artist inserts an object into his work and the symbolism behind it. That is the responsibility of the interpreter and this is a challenging task considering there cannot be one right answer. There are many answers and that is what makes the task all the more valuable and beneficial to the one studying the work. This is why we want every student’s opinion and interpretation on the paintings we have chosen to discuss. They require critical thinking, analysis and interpretation and objects can influence a discussion for hours on end. In conclusion, objects are a tremendous value within Western Art and have the power to promote extensive thinking  and realization about an artist’s piece which in turn, honors the artist.

Annotated Bibliography

Yonan, Michael. “Toward a Fusion of Art History and Material Culture Studies.” West 86th – Toward a Fusion of Art History and Material Culture Studies. Bard Graduate Center, 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
This is an informative article that discusses the similarities and differences between the study of art history and material culture studies and why they are often times disconnected. The author argues that the two studies both complement one another and art-historical practices should play a larger role in understanding material culture studies. This article is fascinating for someone who wants to explore the ways in which materiality impact our world and how goods of all kinds can assist in one’s understanding of broader academic practices and intellectual life.

“Explore Smarthistory.” Smarthistory: A Multimedia Web-book about Art and Art History. Ed. Beth Harris, Dr. and Steven Zucker, Dr. Khan Academy, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
This is an incredible educational resource for studying, understanding and exploring art history. There are videos, written pieces, discussions, and resources for students to easily access. There is also a blog on this website that contains tours, information about different museums and art history in relevance to the classroom. If someone is taking an art history class and needs information about a piece of artwork this is your go-to site!

Protas, Allison, Geoff Brown , and Jaimie Smith, eds. “Dictionary of Symbolism .” University of Michigan . UM Fantasy and Science Fiction, n.d. Web. 20 Apr 2013.
This is a very expansive source from the University of Michigan which gives an entire online dictionary to symbolism seen throughout the arts. There are many search options and you can even submit questions.  If you are looking at a particular piece of art or literature that you know employs symbolism or has an object in it which you think might be a symbol, you can go to this site to see it’s possibilities.  Just remember, not every artist uses symbolism, and typically not every object in an art piece is a symbol, so you must use your judgment to discern just how much symbolism there is!

Ward, John L. “Disguised Symbolism as Enactive Symbolism in Van Eyck’s Paintings” Artibus et Historiae, Vol. 15, No. 29 (1994), pp. 9-53.  IRSA s.c, n.d Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
Here is a very informative and interesting scholarly article if you want to research further into Van Eyck’s paintings.  It discusses his use of symbolism and inquires as to how much symbolism is used throughout his works and his techniques for employing symbolism.

Roepstorff, Andreas. “Things to think with: words and objects as material symbols.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences . Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B , 12 Jun 2008. Web. 23 Apr 2013.
This article digresses slightly from what we will be delving into in class, but it provides valuable information for perhaps why artists throughout history have decided to put symbols in their artwork and why they represented objects as those symbols.  It approaches this through the angle of human nature and is a psychological/neurological inquiry into why and how we create symbols through the objects and materials we come into experience with and how this possibly links our internal understandings to the external world.