12113 - History of Medieval Art (1)

Learning outcomes

The classes will try to offer a general approach to history of medieval art from 5th to 15th century. Students are hoped to acquire on one side the abilities which are necessary for the knowledge of the artistic production of the period - attribution, and skill in the "readind" of the work - and on the other a conscious methodology. The last lessons will offer a more specific topic, as a research example.

Course contents

The course can be taken by the students of the different curricula of the 'laurea triennale'. The lessons will take place in the first semester, and will be divided in two parts (60 hours). The first section (A) will examine general problems connected with the subject, so to offer a help to organize better the personal study. It will based on two different topics. On one side we will face some methodological problems: the chronological definition of "Middle Age"; the difference between historical geography and art-historical geography; the materials; the relationships with Antiquity; the workshops of Medieval artists; and so on. On the other side we will consider the most important aspects of the artistic stream in Middle Age, from a more chronological point of view. The second section (B) will offer a more specific example of research; the title for this academic year will be "Renaissance in Cesena".
I - Students must know the basic facts of art history in Italy from Late Antiquity to the first two decades of XV century, include Renaissance's first generation. The text book(s) can be chosen by the student from the handbooks ("manuali") in use in Italy, covering the period above mentioned; there is not one specific compulsory text.
II - Students are expected to read one of the following texts (or group of texts), here quoted in the italian editions: a – three studies from the volumes Arte e storia nel Medioevo, Torino 2002-05 b – J.J.G. Alexander, I miniatori medioevali e il loro metodo di lavoro, Modena 2004 c – M. Baxandall, Pittura ed esperienze sociali nell'Italia del Quattrocento, ed. it. Torino 1978 and later ed. d – M. Baxandall, Giotto e gli umanisti, ed. it. Milano 1994 e – M. Baxandall, Forme dell'intenzione, ed. it. Torino 2000 f – E. Castelnuovo (curator), Artifex bonus. Il mondo dell'artista medioevale, Bari 2004 g – H. Focillon, Vita delle forme, ed. it. Torino 1990 and previous ed. h – C. Ginzburg, Indagini su Piero, ed. Torino 1994 (only THIS edition) i – E. Panofsky, La prospettiva come “forma simbolica” e altri scritti, ed. it. Milano 1961 and later ed. l – E. Panofsky, Rinascimento e rinascenze nell'arte occidentale, ed. it. Milano 1971 and later ed. m – O. Pächt, La miniatura medioevale, ed. it. Torino 1987 n – J. Von Schlosser-Magnino, L'arte del Medioevo, ed. it. Torino 1989 n – A. Warburg, La rinascita del paganesimo antico, ed. it. Firenze 1966 and later ed. o – R. Wittkower, La scultura, ed. it. Torino 1985.
III - Students must study one book for the second section (B), dedicated to the more specific topic of the relationships between Medieval and Contemporary Art. See here 'testi'.
IV - Students are also invited to know directly - that is, not through books or the net but FROM LIFE - at least one Medieval artwork: a church, a palace, a painting, a sculpture.
For more detailed infos about the lessons and the texts, and for all the problems connected with the different "value" of the course (12, 10, 6 or 5 credits) or with the system of assessment methods, you can contact the teacher by mail or in office hours. Erasmus and Overseas students can anyway obtain a personal bibliography, with a reduced (and-or different) list of texts; both 5-6 and 10-12 credits foreign students can substitute one of the parts II and III of the program with a personal research, to be discussed during the exam. 

Readings/Bibliography

See "programma" for I, II e IV:
For III:
STUDENTS WHO HAVE ATTENDED CLASSES
1 - Libraria Domini, a cura di Fabrizio Lollini e P. Lucchi, Bologna 1995 (only the three studies - Toniolo, Lollini, Mariani Canova - concerning Cesena illumination in XV century).
2 - Malatesta Novello magnifico signore, catalogo della mostra a cura di Pier Giorgio Pasini, Bologna 2002 (only the studies about Malatestiana library)
3 - Il dono di Malatesta Novello, a cura di L. Righetti e D. Savoia, Cesena 2006
Students will prepare for the exam only ONE of these abovementioned texts (or group of texts), together with their personal notes. Students are also invited to exploit all the materials on Malatestiana's website (catalogues, descriptions, images), related to the manuscripts discussed during lessons.
STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT ATTENDED CLASSES
Two texts, or groups of abovementioned texts.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons. For the general section (I), some workshops and outdoor visits in museums and monuments will be also scheduled.

Assessment methods

Written test for (I), oral exam for (II), (III) and (IV) - see here "course contents". Students coming from other countries, and/or not of Italian mother-tongue (Erasmus, Overseas, and other exchanges) CAN (not MUST),  have an oral exam for all the sections.
The written test is a 10 image exam: you will be asked to precise as more as you can the stylistic situation (including date and area) of every image; 18+ will be admitted to the oral section of the exam; for other info, please ask. The oral section will cover the part II, III and IV of the program, and will be based on the readings and on the topics we will consider in classes.

Teaching tools

Slide projection or ppt during lessons.

Links to further information

http://www.dav.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Fabrizio Lollini