98787 - The Places of Art and the Space of Power in Medieval Europe (1)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student: acquires knowledge about the artistic production of the most important European centers of secular and religious power and the circulation of people and objects that connects them (5th-15th century); develops critical skills in reading and interpreting historical and artistic events in the Italian and European context; learn a specific language for appropriate and effective communication around these issues.

Course contents

The course LUOGHI DELL’ARTE E SPAZIO DEL POTERE NELL’ EUROPA MEDIEVALE is 6 CFU for which preparation is on an oral test basis.

he course intends to investigate the arts through themes of political power (secular and religious) capable of reading the spatial contexts of works of art in their context (6th-15th centuries) in a transversal and synchronic manner. Not failing to pay attention to the strategic role of the arts and their capacity for communication and persuasion.

For this reason, the course is divided into two parts.

The first part (I) will focus on the study of the specific vocabulary and manualistic study of the major artistic events between the 12th and late 14th centuries, including the Late Gothic (early 15th century) between Italy and Europe, in the perspective of the emergence of ecclesiastical and secular power centers.

The second part (II) will deal in monographic terms with some cases between Italy and Europe: the role of cathedrals, the rise of the centers of power (the Patriarchate of Aquileia, Paris, Avignon, Prague, Vienna etc. etc.), the communication strategy of the cult of saints, the use of images, patronage (public and private).

Special emphasis will be given to the clash between papacy and empire in the 14th century: the power of images, images of power.

Readings/Bibliography

For the first part (I) the attending and nonattending student will be required to study a series of images (painting, architecture, miniature, minor arts) that will be provided during class and uploaded to Virtual.

For the second part (II), the attending student should choose a text from the following list in addition to the lecture notes:

G. Piccinni, Operazione buon governo. Un laboratorio di comunicazione politica nell'Italia del Trecento, Milano 2022.

Giotto e le arti a Bologna al tempo di Bertrando del Poggetto, a cura di Massimo Medica, Cinisello Balsamo 2006 (nel corso delle lezioni verranno segnalate le parti da escludere).

Potere delle immagini, immagini di potere: Lucca città imperiale. Iconografia politica, a cura di Max Seidel e Romano Silva, Venezia 2007 (nel corso delle lezioni verranno segnalate le parti da escludere)

Thomas Becket, murder and the making of a saint, a cura di Lloyd De Beer and Naomi Speakman, London 2021

Splendori del gotico nel patriarcato di Aquileia, a cura di Maurizio Buora, Udine 2008.

Other specific bibliography will be pointed out in the course of the lectures.
Non-attending students in addition to the first part (I), must study compulsorily:

Giotto e le arti a Bologna al tempo di Bertrando del Poggetto, a cura di Massimo Medica, Cinisello Balsamo 2006.

G. Piccinni, Operazione buon governo. Un laboratorio di comunicazione politica nell'Italia del Trecento, Milano 2022.

 

Teaching methods

Lectures and practical exercises.

Assessment methods

he exam will be oral and characterized by three questions on items I and II of the syllabus. For frequent attendees, the questioning will be based on specific questions on the topics discussed in class and the provided texts. For non-attenders, the questioning will be based on specific questions on the topics analyzed from the provided texts.

Teaching tools

Powerpoints, Archiui, Omeka.

Office hours

See the website of Fabio Massaccesi