To what extent can late-sixteenth and seventeenth-century
writing on art help us understand the painting and sculpture of that
period?  Did it dampen creativity, as some have suggested, or did
artists actively engage with its premises and assumptions?   How did
they respond to the prevalent idea that the sixteenth century had
seen the perfection of the arts?	
	With these and other questions in mind, this seminar will
begin with an introduction to the major writers on art (Vasari,
Bellori, and others) and continue with a series of case studies on
individual artists. Likely subjects include Caravaggio, Annibale
Carracci, Artemisia Gentileschi, Guercino, Domenichino, Guido Reni,
Poussin, Pietro da Cortona, Pietro Testa, Bernini, Velázquez,
Vermeer, and Rembrandt.