08776 - Psychology of Art (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, students: - know basic psychology of art approaches; - recognise specificities of any different methods in order to use them in art’s cultural dimension understanding; - acquire critical tools to evaluate fundamental issues related to visual experience in its various aspects.

Course contents

The course is organized in two parts. The first one aims to introduce major theoretical and methodological approaches provided by influential schools of thought (psychoanalysis; psychology of perception; experimental aesthetics; neurosciences) to comprehend artistic phenomenon and visual images experience. The second one is about a case study on the relationship between art and psychology from a historical perspective: the representation of "love melancholy" in Seventeenth-Century Holland painting.

Readings/Bibliography

1. E. Gombrich, Freud e la psicologia dell’arte, Einaudi, Torino 2001 (or subsequent editions).
2. S. Ferrari, Nuovi lineamenti di una psicologia dell'arte, Clueb, Bologna, 2012.
3. R. Arnheim, Arte e percezione visiva, Feltrinelli, Milano 2000 (or subsequent editions) [in part. chapters 1 (Equilibrio, pp. 31-54); 2 (Configurazione, pp. 55-92); 3 (Forma, pp. 93-141); 4 (Sviluppo, pp. 142-186)].
4. E. Kandel, Arte e neuroscienze. Le due culture a confronto, Raffaello Cortina, Milano 2017.
5. C. Tartarini, Il pennello di Cupido. Il dottor Meige e il mal d’amore nella pittura olandese del Seicento, Carocci, Roma 2017.

[N.B. For exchange students: Book n. 1 - E. Gombrich, Freud’s Aesthetics (1966), in Id., Reflections on the History of Art. Views and Reviews, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA 1987, pp. 221-239; Psychoanalysis and the History of Art (1954), in Id., Meditations on a Hobby Horse and other Essays on the Theory of Art, Phaidon Press, London 1963, pp. 30-44; The use of art for the study of symbols [Vom Wert der Kunstwissenschaft für die Symbolforschung], "American Psychologist”, 20(1), 1965, pp. 34-50. || Book n. 3 - R. Arnheim, Art and Visual perception. A Psychology of the Creative Eye, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA 2004 [new version], chapters 1-4. || Book n. 4 - E. Kandel, Reductionism in Art and Brain Science. Bridging the Two Cultures, Columbia University Press, New York 2016.]

Attending students: Reading instructions and further bibliographical informations will be provided throughout the course; some of the recommended texts could stand in for one book mentioned above. For specific requirements, attending students are asked to contact Chiara Tartarini.

Non-attending students have to comply with the foregoing bibliography.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures; active/cooperative learning; case studies; debate and class exercises.

Assessment methods

The final examination consists in an interview about texts listed in section Readings/Bibliography.

The students are required to demonstrate the acquisition of a critical understanding of the texts and, if they are attending students, of the topics discussed throughout the course.

• It will be assessed as “excellent” the performance of students achieving an in-depth knowledge and an organic vision of the course contents, the ability to connect different topics and to use a proper specific language.
• It will be assessed as “good” the performance of students showing a correct knowledge of the topics, a good analysis and synthesis capability, and using a proper language.
• It will be assessed as “sufficient” the performance of students showing mostly mnemonic knowledge, not articulated synthesis and analysis capabilities, a correct but not always appropriate language.
• It will be assessed as “insufficient” the performance of students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended bibliography and inability to analyse the main topics.

To take the examination, students shall register in the list by AlmaEsami service, respecting the deadlines. If some students already registered decide not to sit the examination, they are asked to cancel their name from the exam list.

Teaching tools

Traditional lectures; slides and audio-visual projections; web resources, shared materials with attending students; debate, course tests.

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Tartarini