B7698 - Saperi e linguaggi di Storia dell'Arte 2

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student acquires: knowledge of a number of themes characterising the teaching of the art history of the medieval West; linguistic and communicative skills in the art-historical field.

Course contents

The course will focus on two case studies illustrating potential interdisciplinary themes that characterise the history of art in the medieval West: the question of the original intended location of Giotto’s Stefaneschi Polyptych, in relation to the reconstruction of the spatial contexts of works of art; and the depiction of animals and plants in the medieval West, in relation to the relationship between art history and the history of science.

Readings/Bibliography

References:

• Agosti, Giovanni, and Jacopo Stoppa, eds. 2019. Il meraviglioso mondo della natura. Una favola fra arte, mito e scienza. Exhibition catalogue. Milan: 24 ore cultura.

• Chavannes-Mazel, Claudine A., and Linda IJpeelar. 2023. The Green Middle Ages. The Depiction and the Use of Plants in the Western World. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/61939/1/9789048557745.pdf (accessed: 18 March 2026).

• Pächt, Otto. 1950. "Early Italian Nature Studies and the Early Calendar Landscape." Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 13 (1950), 13-47.

• Paolucci, Antonio, Ulderico Santamaria, and Vittoria Cimino, eds. 2016. Ricerche sul polittico Stefaneschi. Giotto nella Pinacoteca Vaticana. Milan: Electa.

• Piva, Paolo, ed. 2026. L'arte medievale nel contesto (300-1300). Funzioni, iconografie, tecniche (2006). Milan: Jaca Book.

• Piva, Paolo, ed. 2019. Arte medievale. Le vie dello spazio liturgico (2010). Milan: Jaca Book.

• Romano, Giovanni, 1978. Studi sul paesaggio. Turin: G. Einaudi.

• Romano, Serena, 2015. "Giotto e la basilica di san Pietro: il polittico Stefaneschi." In Giotto, l'Italia, edited by Serena Romano and Pietro Petraroia, 96-113. Exhibition catalogue. Milan: Electa.

• Zander, Pietro, 2015. "Giotto e la basilica di San Pietro: il polittico nella basilica." In Giotto, l'Italia, edited by Serena Romano and Pietro Petraroia, 114-127. Exhibition catalogue. Milan: Electa.

Further bibliographical advice may be provided during the lectures.

Teaching methods

Frontal and participatory teaching lessons, supported by PPT images.

Assessment methods

Proficiency for the course will be determined by verifying the minimum attendance percentage. The assessment of learning will coincide with the final examination for obtaining the teaching qualification in the competition class of the training course, as outlined in Article 9 of the Prime Ministerial Decree of August 4, 2023.

Teaching tools

PPT presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Gianluca Del Monaco