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

"Donatello, his art and his influence"

The course aims to deepen the crucial figure of Donatello and the decisive impact that his art had on the artists of the fifteenth century (and beyond), with a particular focus on the painters who from Tuscany to the Po Valley came into contact with his great magisterium.

 

 

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). 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.

If you would like to use other textbooks, please contact the teacher.

 

On the topics covered in the lessons:

Main part (compulsory texts)

Donatello. Il Rinascimento, catalogo della mostra di Firenze, a cura di F. Caglioti, con L. Cavazzini, A. Galli, N. Rowley, Venezia, Marsilio, 2022

 

It is also required to deepen at least one of the following areas

A) Donatello and Florentine painting (a text of your choice):

Una scuola per Piero. Luce, colore e Prospettiva nella formazione fiorentina di Piero della Francesca, catalogo della mostra di Firenze, a cura di L. Bellosi, Venezia, Marsilio, 1992

Masaccio e le origini del Rinascimento, catalogo della mostra di San Giovanni Valdarno, a cura di L. Bellosi, Ginevra-Milano, Skira, 2002

B) Donatello and the Padanian painting (2 texts of your choice):

K. Christiansen, Prime opere: Padova, in Andrea Mantegna, catalogo della mostra di Londra/New York, a cura di J. Martineau, Milano, Olivetti/Electa, pp. 93-147

A. De Marchi, Centralità di Padova: alcuni esempi di interferenza tra scultura e pittura nell’area adriatica alla metà del Quattrocento, in Quattrocento adriatico. Fifteenth-Century Art of the Adriatic Rim. Papers from a Colloquium held at the Villa Spelman, Florence, 1994, a cura di C. Dempsey, Bologna, Nuova Alfa Editoriale, 1996, pp. 57-79.

A. Galli,. L. Cavazzini, Padova Cruciale, in Mantegna. 1431-1506, catalogo della mostra di Parigi, a cura di G. Agosti, Milano, Officina Libraria, 2008, pp. 55-101

G.A. Calogero, Marco Zoppo. Ingegno sottile, Bologna, BUP, 2020, pp. 67-87 (Marco Zoppo a Padova), 93-106 (La pergamena Colville)

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.

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