30633 - History of Medieval Art (LM)

Learning outcomes

The class, based on lectures and guided tours, is intended to investigate issues relating to painting, sculpture and decorative arts in Italy and Europe during the Middle Ages (5th-15th centuries). The religious, political and cultural demands that shaped the visual arts will be taken in account in order to help read the several components of the artistic phenomenon.

Course contents

The Giotto's career

This course will be focused on the Giotto's artistic personality and will explain his career between XIII and XIV Century, from the cimabuesque roots to the late works in Bologna and Milano.

This course will be held in the second semester and divided into two parts of 30 hours of lectures each, corresponding to 6 credits.

LM students in Visual Arts shall refer to both parts (12 credits exam), while LM students in Italian Studies, European Literary Cultures, Language Sciences only to the first part (6 credits exam).

First part (6 credits)

Giotto from Assisi to Padua

Second part (6 credits)

Giotto’s maturity and late activity

Readings/Bibliography

For 12 credits

A) Students are required to review the institutional part, more specifically history of the Art from 1200 to 1450. This part can be studied in scholar manual references.

B) Monographic part. Two texts chosen from the following:

- Luciano Bellosi, La pecora di Giotto, Einaudi, 1985; reprint in economic edition Abscondita, 2015;

- Luciano Bellosi, Cimabue, Federico Motta editore, 1998; reprint Abscondita 2004;

- Giotto e le arti a Bologna al tempo di Bertrando del Poggetto, a cura di Massimo Medica, catalogo della mostra (Bologna), Silvana Ed., 2005;

- Serena Romano, La O di Giotto, Electa, 2008;

- Donal Cooper, Janet Robson, The Making of Assisi. The Pope, the Franciscans and the painting of the Basilic, Yale Univ. Press, 2013;

- Giotto, l'Italia, a cura di P. Petraroia e S. Romano, catalogo della mostra di Milano, Electa, 2015.

For 6 credits

A) Students are required to review the history of Art from 1200 to 1450. This part can be studied in scholar manual references.

B) Monographic part:

- Luciano Bellosi, La pecora di Giotto, Einaudi, 1985; reprint Abscondita 2015.

Teaching methods

The teacher will assign great importance not only to ordinary lectures, but also to the workshop of connoisseurship.

Attending lectures is highly recommended. Non-attending students will find the contents of the lectures in the recommended readings and bibliography.

Students shall also prepare the history of medieval art from the 13th to the 15th century. Students who have not taken the exam of History of Medieval Art are invited to study a manual of Art History from the Late Antique to the end of the Quattrocento.

Assessment methods

 

The examination consists of two parts: a written part and an interview:

- the written part will concern the institutional part of the syllabus to verify the students’ knowledge of the socio-artistic context of the XIII, XIV and XV centuries (coursebook). During this part, ten images of art works will be projected. Each image will be screened for 5 minutes, and during this time candidates shall fill a form indicating the work's historical context and, if possible, the name of the artist. Candidates may repeat this written part, if they whish, but a negative result will not prevent admission to the interview, although it will be considered in the final grade.

- the interview in which candidates are required to carry out a critical discussion based on the recommended readings.

Evaluation

The written part will be marked as follows:

- Correct image recognition (artist, subject, date, place of storage, short critical reading of its iconographic aspects, historical context and stylistic characteristics): on a scale of 1 to 3 points;

- no identification or incorrect identification of the image: zero points.

The pass mark is 18/30.

The written part counts for a third of the final mark (10/30).

During the oral examination, students are required to demonstrate the acquisition of a critical understanding of the topics discussed during the course and a critical knowledge of the recommended bibliography.

By the of this course students will:
• know the features of artwork in early modern period
• identify and analyse the most significant works
• develop personal reflections
• demonstrate a critical understanding of the various issues discussed
• use correct terminology

It will be assessed as excellent the performance of those students achieving an organic vision of the course contents, the use of a proper specific language, a structural and historical-contextual understanding of the pieces studied, the originality of the reflection as well as the familiarity with the art works discussed.

It will be assessed as discrete the performance of those students showing mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, not articulated synthesis and analysis capabilities, a correct but not always appropriate language, as well as a scholastic study of the topics of the course. It will be assessed as barely sufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, lack of knowledge of the recommended bibliography. It will be assessed as insufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended bibliography and inability to analyse the discipline.

Students may take the written part of the examination on each exam date.

The assessment methods are the same for attending and non-attending students.

Teaching tools

Lectures with digital slides.

Tours guided by the teacher, to be considered very important for the training of the students.

Office hours

See the website of Daniele Benati