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Art and Iconoclasm: The Power of Images - HOA00099I

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  • Department: History of Art
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Erhan Tamur
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: I
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module summary

Iconoclasm means “image-breaking.” In this module, we will investigate histories of iconoclasm from ancient to modern times, with a particular focus on religious, political, and ideological contexts as well as the varying ontological status of the image through time.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

Iconoclasm means “image-breaking.” The destruction of images and monuments, though increasingly making the news in recent decades, has a much longer history. In this module, we will investigate histories of iconoclasm from ancient to modern times, with a particular focus on religious, political, and ideological contexts as well as the varying ontological status of the image through time. We will delve into ancient image-making practices and explore concepts such as mimesis, representation, idolatry, and animation. We will balance theoretical readings in aesthetics, theory and philosophy of art with various case studies ranging from ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greco-Roman worlds to the Late Antique, Medieval Islamic, and Early Modern periods. We will end with more recent acts of iconoclasm in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and discuss the potential repercussions for the disciplines of art history, archaeology, museology, and cultural heritage studies today.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should have acquired:

  • A solid grounding in historical and contemporary scholarship on image theory and iconoclasm
  • A broad understanding of the intersections between artistic production and social, political, and religious structures through time
  • The skill to engage in close, visual analyses of artworks of various media and in critical analyses of primary and secondary sources
  • The skill to write clearly and concisely about complex ideas and historical contexts
  • An awareness of the ways in which histories of iconoclasm are linked to contemporary debates on the excavation, preservation, and exhibition of artworks

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Intermediate Assignment		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Intermediate Assignment		 N/A 100

Module feedback

You will receive feedback on assessed work within the timeframes set out by the University - please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.

The purpose of feedback is to help you to improve your future work. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further, you are warmly encouraged to meet your Tutor and/or Supervisor during their office hours.

Indicative reading

  • Bahrani, Zainab. The Graven Image: Representation in Babylonia and Assyria. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003.
  • Bleiberg, Edward and Stephanie Weissberg, eds. Striking Power: Iconoclasm in Ancient Egypt. St. Louis, MO: Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 2019.
  • Brubaker, Leslie. Inventing Byzantine Iconoclasm. London: Bristol Classical Press, 2012.
  • Elsner, Jas. “Iconoclasm as Discourse: From Antiquity to Byzantium.” The Art Bulletin 94, no. 3 (2012): 368–394.
  • Freedberg, David. The Power of Images: Studies in the History and Theory of Response. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989.
  • Gamboni, Dario. The Destruction of Art: Iconoclasm and Vandalism since the French Revolution. London: Reaktion Books, 1997.
  • Gruber, Christiane, ed. The Image Debate: Figural Representation in Islam and across the World. London: Gingko, 2019.
  • Langer, Axel, ed. In the Name of the Image: Figurative Representation in Islamic and Christian Cultures. Berlin: Hatje Cantz, 2022.
  • Latour, Bruno and Peter Weibel, eds. Iconoclash. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002.
  • May, Natalie Naomi, ed. Iconoclasm and Text Destruction in the Ancient Near East and Beyond. Chicago, Illinois: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 2012.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.