98799 - Renaissance Art (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the students will: know thoroughly how artistic Renaissance ideals emerged in Florence and circulated in diverse geographical contexts with a variety of peculiar outcomes (15th and 16th centuries); learn to critically analyze works of painting, sculpture, and architecture in connection with broader cultural issues, i.e. the revival of antiquity by humanists and the theoretical debates among scholars and men of letters; improve their own linguistic and communication skills in the field of art history.

Course contents

"The young Bellini and the beginning of the Renaissance in Venice"

The course aims to explore the early life and career of one of the greatest artists of the italian art, Giovanni Bellini and to contextualize his development at a time when Venetian artists began to convert their language to the new way of the Renaissance.

Readings/Bibliography

Students has to know the chapters of an Art History textbook from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries (from Early Renaissance to Raffaello and Tiziano). The following textbooks are recommended:

G. Briganti, C. Bertelli, A. Giuliano, Storia dell'arte italiana, Milano, Electa, 1986 (and reprints);

P. De Vecchi, E. Cerchiari, Arte nel tempo, Milano, Bompiani, 1991 (and reprints);

S. Settis, T. Montanari, Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, Milano, Mondadori, 2019

 

 On the topics covered in the lessons:

P. Humfrey, The Altarpiece in Renaissance Venice, New Haven-London, Yale University Press, 1993, in particular chapter 5, Part II, “Renaissance Beginnings”, pp. 163-193;

M. Lucco, Venezia, in La pittura nel Veneto. Il Quattrocento, 2 voll., edited by M. Lucco, Milano, Electa, II, pp. 395-480;

L. Bellosi, Giovanni Bellini e Andrea Mantegna, in Mantegna 1431-1506, exhibition catalogue edited by G. Agosti, D. Thiébaut, Milano, Officina Libraria, 2008, pp. 103-109;

A. De Marchi, Im Lauf der Zeit: la «Pietà» di Giovanni Bellini, in Giovanni Bellini. Dall'Icona alla storia,exhibition catalogue edited by A. De Marchi, A. Di Lorenzo, L. Galli Michero, Torino, Allemandi, 2014, pp. 17-31;

G.A. Calogero, Il problema della pala Gattamelata e gli esordi di Giovanni Bellini, in “Paragone”, LXX, 835, 2019, pp. 3-31

Further useful bibliography will be suggested during the lessons.

Teaching methods

Lessons including critical readings of text passages and projected images, possible study visits.

Attending lectures is highly recommended.

Who cannot attend classes could consult the readings in the bibliography and didactic material uploaded on the  platform "Virtuale".

Assessment methods

The final exam consists of an oral test. Discussion of textbook (the history of art from late Fifteenth to early Nineteenth century); one text chosen by the student among the optional essays, and the bibliography relating to the monographical part.

In particular:

1. Those students who show developed analytical skills of selected readings and their correct contextualization within a complete vision of the issues discussed during lectures will be given a mark of excellence. Mastering of field-specific language and good expression during the examination will also be required (A =28-30 con lode).

2. Those students who show mnemonic knowledge of the subject and a superficial analysis of selected readings, as well as a correct but not always appropriate mastering of the field-specific language will be given a satisfactory mark (B = 25-27 and C = 23-24).

3. Those students who will show vague knowledge and superficial understanding of selected readings, limited analytical skills and a not always appropriate expression will be given a ‘pass’ mark roughly (D = 18-22).

4. Those students who show gaps in their knowledge and lack of familiarity with selected readings will not be given a ‘pass’ mark (E).

The assessment procedure is the same for students who attend or do not attend lectures.

Teaching tools

Text passages provided to attending students, power point presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Giacomo Alberto Calogero