85117 - History of Arts in Medieval and Renaissance Italy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able to develop a general vision of the history of Medieval and Renaissance art. On one hand, students will know how to use the skills necessary to become familiar with the artistic production of the period, and on the other, they will be able to analyse some of the main works of the history of Medieval and Renaissance art using specific methodologies, and relate these to one another appropriately.

Course contents

 

This course offers an overview of Italian Medieval and Renaissance art, from the 6th to the end of the 16th century, through lectures and site visits. Its aim is to introduce students to Italian art history and to its main critical issues, and to equip them with the tools needed to understand and analyze works of art – within their cultural, social, and political contexts, and in terms of style, iconography, and technique.

Course Structure

Unit 1

From Late Antiquity (Early Christian art) to Giotto

The loss and rediscovery of nature in art.

Unit 2

The Renaissance in 15th-century Italy

Florence: the place and the people where it all began.

The dissemination of Renaissance art through the courts and the role of patrons: Urbino (Piero della Francesca), Mantua (Mantegna).

Unit 3

The High Renaissance and its protagonists in Rome

Being modern by emulating the ancients: Raphael, Michelangelo.

The crisis known as Mannerism.

Unit 4

A new beginning in Bologna and Rome

The Carracci reform.

Caravaggio.

 

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

Attending students

1. Personal notes and PowerPoint presentations from classes and site visits.

2. J. Shearman, Only Connect… Art and the Spectator in the Italian Renaissance, Princeton University Press, 1992

(accessible online with UniBo credentials: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780691200774/html)

3. One book from the list below.

Non-Attending Students

1. J. Shearman, Only Connect… Art and the Spectator in the Italian Renaissance, Princeton University Press, 1992

(accessible online with UniBo credentials: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780691200774/html)

2. Two books from the list below.

3. Handbook (see below).

List of books

Each book can be studied in one of their different editions, and both in Italian or in English.

E. Gombrich, Norm and Form: studies in the art of the Renaissance, London-New York, Phaidon, 1971

M. Baxandall, Painting and experience in fifteenth century Italy : a primer in the social history of pictorial style, London, Oxford University Press, 1972

R. Wittkower, Sculpture: processes and principles, Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1979

A. Warburg, The Renewal of Pagan Antiquity; contributions to the cultural history of the European renaissance, Los Angeles, Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities, 1999

Michelangelo & Sebastiano, edited by M. Wiwel, catalogue of the exhibition, London, National Gallery, 2017 (essay by M. Wivel, A Meeting of Minds, pp. 15-39, and Catalogue, Sections 1 to 3, pp. 88-221)

P. Tinagli, Women in Italian Renaissance Art. Gender Representation Identity, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1997

L. Pericolo, Caravaggio and pictorial narrative : dislocating the Istoria in early modern painting, London ; Turnhout : Harvey Miller, 2011 (Foreword, Part One and Part Two; or Foreword, Part One and Part Three)

Handbook

H. Gardner, Gardner's art through the ages: a global history, Australia, Cengage Learning, 2018, 2 voll. (other editions available).

Lurdes Craveiro, Lisboa, Bens Culturais da Igreja, 2017, pp. 9-23

Teaching methods

Lectures will be supported by PowerPoint presentations ; if permitted, on-site inspections and guided visits will also be included.

Assessment methods

The exam will be oral and it will aim to assess whether the students have developed the critical skills during the course. Students will be required to demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the bibliography specified in the syllabus.

1. It will be graded as excellent the performance of those students demonstrating to be able to thoroughly analyse the works of art and the texts, and to put them into an organic view of the topics discussed during the course. The proper use of the specific language during the examination will be also essential.

2. It will be graded as discrete the performance of those students with mostly mnemonic knowledge, no in-depth analysis capabilities and a correct, but not always appropriate, language of the recommended texts.

3. It will be graded as barely sufficient the performance of those students with approximate knowledge, superficial understanding, poor analytical capabilities and a not always appropriate language.

4. It will be graded as insufficient the performance of those students with learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended bibliography.           

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

Powerpoint slides.

Office hours

See the website of Sonia Cavicchioli