11965 - History of Modern Art (1)

Learning outcomes

The course proposes to form for the students an adequate knowledge of the base of the principle facts and crucial questions of art overall Italian from the 15th century to the end of the 18th century. In particular the ability to recognize essential technical methods that would allow the student to understand the work of art from the point of view of the style and the form, the iconography, technique and to comprehend the connections to the historical, social and cultural timeframe in which they were produced. At the end of the course the student should be familiar with the characteristic themes and particularities along with the ambitions of the artists of these centuries. The student should also recognize and be able to comment on the works of the most representative artists and movements.

Course contents

The course primarily aims to provide students with the tools for interpreting works of art, presenting them in their specificity. Therefore, it includes an initial phase of introducing the historical-artistic method, which will also serve as a foundation for studying the textbook and preparing for the exam, particularly the written portion. The second objective is to highlight the fundamental elements of art (in reality, the arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, and more) of the modern age, emphasizing their continuity from the 15th to the early 19th century. To achieve this, the course will focus on certain key points, movements, and particularly interesting artists, aiming to view art history from a Bolognese perspective.-

 

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities

It is recommended to get in touch immediately with the relevant University office  (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer to jointly identify the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for the exam.

Readings/Bibliography

Handbbok

Salvatore Settis e Tomaso Montanari, Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, Milano, Mondadori Education, vol. 3, Dal Quattrocento alla Controriforma e vol. 4, Dal Barocco all’Impressionismo

Copia del manuale si trova presso:

- Biblioteca “Raimondi”, sezione di Studi Umanistici

- Biblioteca delle Arti, sezione Arti viive “Supino”

- Biblioteca di Lingue, letterature moderne

List of books:

Early Modern period and 16th-century Arts

Arte e umanesimo a Bologna. Materiali e nuove prospettive, a cura di D. Benati e G. Calogero, Bologna, BUP, 2019, pp. 1-294 (I e II parte)

A. Pinelli, La bella maniera, Torino, Einaudi, 1993

J. Shearman, Funzione e illusione, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1983

V. Farinella, Raffaello pittore archeologo. Eguagliare e superare gli antichi, Roma, Carocci, 2021

R. Wittkower, Principi architettonici nell'età dell'Umanesimo (1962), Torino, Einaudi, 1994

M. Tafuri, Ricerca del Rinascimento, principi, città, architetti, Torino, Einaudi, 1992

A. Pinelli, La bellezza impura: arte e politica nell'Italia del Rinascimento, Bari, Laterza, 2004

A. Forcellino, Michelangelo. Una vita inquieta, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2005

F. Zeri, Pittura e Controriforma. L'Arte senza tempo di Scipione da Gaeta, Torino, Einaudi, 1957

Nell'età del Correggio e dei Carracci, cat. della mostra, Bologna 1986 (i saggi alle pagg. XV – XXXI, 3-20, 31-44, 213- 254, 355-367 e le schede delle opere di Correggio, di Parmigianino e dei Carracci)

P. Prodi, Arte e pietà nella Chiesa tridentina, Bologna, Il mulino, 2014

17th-century Arts

R. Longhi, Caravaggio (1951), Milano, Martello (anche nelle ristampe Martello o Editori Riuniti)

F. Bologna, L’incredulità di Caravaggio e l’esperienza delle “cose naturali”, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, (1992), 2006

A. Zuccari, Caravaggio controluce. Ideali e capolavori, Milano, Skira, 2011 (premessa dell’autore, e pp. 187-284).

Roma 1630. Il trionfo del pennello, catalogo della mostra, Milano, Electa, 1994, saggi di G. Briganti, M. Fumaroli, O. Bonfait, S. Ebert-Schifferer, O. Bonfait (pp. 23-126) e, nel catalogo, schede dei dipinti alle pp. 128-181

P.Portoghesi, Roma barocca (1966), Bari, Laterza 1978 (vol.I)

T. Montanari, La libertà di Bernini, Torino, Einaudi, 2016

E. Mâle, L'arte religiosa nel Seicento, ed. it. Milano Jaca Book, 1984

S. Cavicchioli,"L'Aquila e 'l Pardo". Rinaldo I e il mecenatismo di casa d'Este nel Seicento, Modena, Franco Cosimo Panini, 2015

S. Alpers, Arte del descrivere. Scienza e pittura nel Seicento olandese, Boringhieri, 1984: in particolare l'Introduzione e i capitoli 3, 4 e 6

S. Schama, La cultura olandese nell'epoca d'oro, Milano, Mondadori, 1988

M. Fumaroli, La scuola del silenzio, Milano, Adelphi, 1995, cap. I: “Il Parnaso romano”, pp. 13-209

18th- and 19th-century Arts

J. Starobinski, La scoperta della libertà, Ginevra, Skira 1964

O. Rossi Pinelli, Le arti nel Settecento europeo, Torino, Einaudi, 2009

L. Barroero, Le Arti e i Lumi. Pittura e scultura da Piranesi a Canova, Torino, Einaudi, 2011

A. Ottani Cavina, I paesaggi della ragione, Torino, Einaudi, 1994

R. Rosenblum, Trasformazioni nell'arte. Iconografia e stile tra Neoclassicismo e Romanticismo, Roma, La Nuova Italia Scientifica 1984

S. Cavicchioli, Dipingere pensieri. Francesco IV d’Austria-Este e la decorazione del Palazzo Ducale di Modena (1814-1846), Trieste, EUT, 2022 (open access al link:

G. Briganti, I pittori dell'immaginario (1989), Milano, Electa, 1996

Methodological studies

Raffaello Mito e percezione, a cura di D. Benati, S. Cavicchioli, S. Costa, M. Faietti, Bologna, BUP, 2022

E. Castelnuovo, Il significato del ritratto pittorico nella società in Storia d'Italia, Torino, Einaudi 1973, vol. 5/2, pp. 1033-1094 e, insieme, F. Zeri, La percezione visiva dell'Italia e degli italiani, Torino, Einaudi, 1976

S. Cavicchioli, Le metamorfosi di Psiche. L'iconografia della favola di Apuleio, Venezia, Marsilio, 2002

E. Panofsky, Il significato nelle arti visive (1955), Torino, Einaudi, 1996

G.C. Sciolla, Studiare l’arte. Appunti sul metodo storico-artistico, Torino, Utet, 2010

S. Settis, Il futuro del classico, Torino, Einaudi, 2004 e, insieme, S. Settis, Continuità, distanza, conoscenza. Tre usi dell'antico, in Storia dell'arte italiana, Memoria dell'antico nell'arte italiana, tomo III, Dalla tradizione all'archeologia, Torino, Einaudi, 1986, pp. 375-486

Teaching methods

Lectures with powerpoint presentations and multimedia instruments; if possible, on-site inspections and guided visits. Students are encouraged to play and active role within the course, through questions, comments and observations related to the lesson topics.

Assessment methods

I. Written test

Attending Students

• Lectures and visits notes, and PowerPoint presentations.

(*The PowerPoint slides from the lectures will be available to attending students.)

• Salvatore Settis and Tomaso Montanari, Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, Milan, Mondadori Education, vol. 3, From the Fifteenth Century to the Counter-Reformation (Sections VI, VII); and vol. 4, From the Baroque to Impressionism (Sections I, II, III).

Non-attending Students

• Salvatore Settis and Tomaso Montanari, Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, Milan, Mondadori Education, 2019, vol. 3, From the Fifteenth Century to the Counter-Reformation (Sections VI, VII); and vol. 4, From the Baroque to Impressionism (Sections I, II, III, IV, V).

Attendees and non-attendees: Knowledge of the images reproduced in the handbook is required, as they will be the subject of the exam.

NOTE: The images included on the pages titled "Via di fuga" and "Lineamenti storici" will not be part of the exam.

The written exam consists of:

1. Identification and brief historical-artistic commentary of 8 images from the manual. The student must indicate the author or context, title, approximate date, location (only for buildings or monumental sculptures, not paintings), and - based solely on the knowledge acquired through studying the manual - make brief references to the author, style, patronage, context: (2.5 points for each identification)

2. Open-ended questions on topics drawn from the study of the textbook and lectures (for attending students): (5.5 points for each question)

Duration: 45 minutes

II. Oral exam

Attending students present a text of their choice from the list under Texts/Bibliography.

Non-attending students present A. Pinelli, La storia dell’arte. Istruzioni per l’uso, Editori Laterza, Bari 2009 (Preface and Chapters from the First to the Sixth) and two texts of their choice from the list under Texts/Bibliography.

The oral exam can confirm the written exam score, increase it, or decrease it by a maximum of three points.

General criteria for oral evaluation

The student must demonstrate the acquisition and possession of the fundamental concepts of the topics covered and the methodological approach adopted, through the recognition of works and the discussion of the bibliography. It is advised, in this regard, to pay particular attention to the iconographic documentation accompanying the exam texts and to the teaching material of the professor, which can be downloaded from the AMS Campus platform, at the site: https://campus.unibo.it .

In particular:

1. Excellence will be awarded to the student who demonstrates the ability to thoroughly analyze the works of art and texts and place them within an organic vision of the themes addressed in the lessons. Mastery of expression used in the writing and during the interview will also be crucial.

2. Memorized knowledge, non-in-depth analysis ability, and correct but not always appropriate language will lead to fair evaluations.

3. Approximate knowledge, superficial understanding, poor analysis ability, and inappropriate expression will lead to barely sufficient evaluations.

4. Gaps in knowledge, inappropriate language, and lack of orientation when faced with the works or within the bibliographic materials can only be evaluated negatively.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities

It is strongly recommended to contact the relevant University office in advance (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ). The office will be responsible for proposing any necessary accommodations for the interested students. These proposals must be submitted to the lecturer for approval at least 15 days in advance, and will be assessed in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

 

Teaching tools

Power Point presentations provided by the teacher.

Office hours

See the website of Sonia Cavicchioli