02290 - History of Modern Art

Learning outcomes

The course proposes to form for the students an adequate knowledge of the base of the principle facts and crucial questions of art overall Italian from the 15th century to the end of the 18th century. In particular the ability to recognize essential technical methods that would allow the student to understand the work of art from the point of view of the style and the form, the iconography, technique and to comprehend the connections to the historical, social and cultural timeframe in which they were produced. At the end of the course the student should be familiar with the characteristic themes and particularities along with the ambitions of the artists of these centuries. The student should also recognize and be able to comment on the works of the most representative artists and movements.

Course contents

The course will be divided into two parts.

In the first part (30 hours), we will retrace the main artistic events of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
The forms and functions of the work of art will be identified in relation to the political, religious and cultural developments of the modern Europe.
We will inevitably focus on the great masters and the most important public commissions, but we'll not neglet some lesser-known artists, in order to give at least an idea of the large number of artists active in the same cultural environment.
Great importance will be given to the material side, to the techniques, and to the matters of style, through visits to museums and monuments that will allow us to come into direct contact with the objects.

In the second part (also 30 hours), some examples of sixteenth-century decorations inside the Bolognese buildings will be treated, with particular attention to the evolution of the iconography and the literary sources, and to the circulation of the models.
If possible, some lessons will take place directly in the buildings considered.

Readings/Bibliography

First part (12 credits and 6 credits)

For the knowledge of the considered period (from the early 16th century to Neoclassicism), the study of a manual is necessary.
Those who have followed the course in previous years can keep the former manual.

- C. Bertelli, G. Briganti, A. Giuliano, Storia dell'arte italiana, Electa-Bruno Mondadori
- P. De Vecchi, E. Cerchiari, Arte nel tempo, Bompiani
- S. Settis, T. Montanari, Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, Mondadori.

Those who feel the need for further study, or to broaden their visual horizon, are allowed to browse the "gray" volumes of Pittura in Italia published by Electa, or the "yellow" volumes of the Storia universale dell'arte published by UTET.
The teacher is always available for advices and bibliographic additions.

one text chosen from the following:

- Raffaello da Urbino a Roma, Milano 2005 (pp. 15-65, più 5 schede di catalogo a scelta)

- J. Shearman, Manierismo, Firenze 1983 *

- F. Bologna, L'incredulità del Caravaggio e l'esperienza delle "cose naturali", Torino 1992 (capitoli 1, 2, 3 e 4).

- R. Wittkower, Arte e architettura in Italia 1600-1750, Torino 1958 (qualsiasi edizione: capitoli VII, VIII, IX, X, XI) *

- L. Barroero, Le Arti e i Lumi. Pittura e scultura da Piranesi a Canova, Torino 2011

- R. Pallucchini, La pittura nel Veneto. Il Settecento, Milano 1995 (capitoli su Sebastiano Ricci, Piazzetta, Tiepolo, Canaletto)

* of course, it's allowed to read these texts in their original editions


Second part (only 12 credits)

All students are required to read this short introductory text:

-L. Olivato, Dei, eroi e imperatori. La decorazione a fresco dei palazzi urbani nel Cinquecento: funzioni, modelli e riferimenti, in Nel palagio. Affreschi del Cinquecento nei palazzi urbani, Verona 2005, pp. 12-43

and two texts chosen from the following:

- M. Ricci, Bologna in Roma, Roma in Bologna. Disegno e architettura durante il pontificato di Gregorio XIII, Roma 2012, pp. 11-42

- La decorazione pittorica, in Palazzo Bocchi, a cura di M. Danieli, D. Ravaioli, Bologna 2006.

- La decorazione pittorica, in Palazzo Fava da san Domenico, a cura di M. Danieli, D. Ravaioli, Bologna 2008.

- La decorazione pittorica, in Palazzo Vizzani, a cura di M. Danieli, Bologna 2019.

- L'immaginario di un ecclesiastico. I dipinti murali di palazzo Poggi, a cura di V. Fortunati, V. Musumeci, Bologna 2000

- Palazzo Magnani in Bologna, a cura di S. Bettini, Milano 2009, pp. 91-135

- U. Muccini, Il salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio, Firenze 1990, pp. 77-162

- S. Ginzburg, Annibale Carracci a Roma. Gli affreschi di Palazzo Farnese, Roma 2000, pp. 79-153

 

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS: program, bibliography and final exam do not present any differences for non-attending students: the program is so wide, lack of attendance will be a sufficient handicap. This applies to both the 12 cfu and the 6 cfu programs.
Those who cannot attend are invited to read the program carefully, and to contact the teacher for any doubt.

Teaching methods

Lectures, with slideshows.
Visits to Museums and monuments.
At the time of the publication of the program (July 2020), the health situation does not allow a planning.
Each meeting outside the classroom will be announced by a communication during the lessons and by a notice on the teacher's website.

Assessment methods

12 credits

The exam consists of a written test and an oral test.

The written test aims to verifying the knowledge related to the first part, and consists of the projection of 8 images of works of art, of which the candidate will have to indicate the author, the iconography, the chronology (at least broadly), and any other element he deems useful for a correct framing of the work in its cultural context.
The test will last about 60 minutes.
Each question is assigned a score from 0 points (lack of any knowledge about the topic) to 4 points (correct framing of the work, full ownership of language).
FAILURE TO REACH SUFFICIENCY (18 POINTS) DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO TAKE THE ORAL TEST.

The oral exam aims to verify the knowledge related to the second part.



6 credits

The exam consists of an oral test on the topics of the first part, as specified above.
Furthermore, the candidate will have to deepen a work of art of his choice, which he must know directly, demonstrating that he is able to put it into the historical-cultural context to which it belongs.

Teaching tools

Slideshows will be uploaded on the teacherìs website, in the "Useful Contents" section.

Office hours

See the website of Michele Danieli