Jerusalem Art History Journal: An Undergraduate eJournal

 This website is the inaugural issue of the Jerusalem Art History Journal: An Undergraduate eJournal/Histoire de l’art à Jérusalem : cyberrevue étudiante de premier cycle derives from the City of Jerusalem: Ideas and Images course taught by Dr. Loren Lerner in the Department of Art History at Concordia University. The course considers different attachments to Jerusalem through visual perceptions and artistic representations at the religious, social and political levels. Its focus is on the multifaceted narratives, allegiances, and ideas of the city's history covering ancient times, the Roman and Byzantine periods, the Arab, Crusader and Mamluk periods, and the years under Ottoman, British Mandate, Jordan/Israeli and Israeli rule. Of central importance is the visual imagery of the real and imagined Jerusalem in the art and architecture created by different communities over thousands of years. The best papers are included in this first issue. The students had a choice of two assignments. The first was to write an essay about the art, architecture, archaeological sites, or urban spaces of Jerusalem from a particular era. The second choice - since a good many of the students are artists in Concordia's studio arts programs - was to create and write about a work of art, reflecting a visual response to this ancient city as a site of major world religions.