aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

School of Arts & Sciences ROME
contemporary and later artists. The course will also explore
relations with his commissioners, especially the Medici in
Florence and the papal court in Rome under pope Julius II.
Students will gain a detailed knowledge of Michelangelo’s work,
and will be able to identify and analyze major works in painting,
sculpture and architecture. Site visits will form an essential part
of the course.
Prerequisites: ART 180 Art History I, or ART 186 Art History II,
or equivalents
Italian Villas and Gardens
ART 282 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course examines the development of Italian villa and
garden architecture from ancient Roman times to the present.
This course covers these artistic periods: 1) Ancient Rome;
2) Medieval; 3) Renaissance and Mannerism; 4) Baroque;
5) Romantic; 6) Modern. Special emphasis is placed on the
Renaissance, and on Florentine, Tuscan and Roman villas and
gardens. Lectures and visits illuminate the intimate relationship
between the villa, its formal gardens, and the surrounding
environment. The course examines structures and grounds in
terms of architectural design, typical features of each period
(paintings and statues, fountains, grottoes, plants), and
conceptual and symbolic meanings. The course will also explore
the social and aesthetic function of villas and gardens: “magic
places” in which nature and culture, work and pleasure meet.
The aim of this course is to offer students a comprehensive
look at the history and character of Italian villas and gardens,
in the process familiarizing them with Italian ways of life and
thought.
Prerequisites: ART 165 History of Architecture, or ART 180 Art
History I, or ART 186 Art History II, or equivalents
Art and Architecture of Ancient Rome
ART 315 R; Dual listed: CLA 318 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This upper level course examines the major developments in the
art and architecture of ancient Rome from the foundation of the
city to the age of Constantine, with an emphasis on significant
examples of Roman monumental buildings and works of art,
crucial archaeological sites, and newly excavated areas. In
addition to introducing students to analysis and interpretation
of styles, this course addresses a variety of current themes and
topics such as public and private architectural spaces, urban
planning, traditions, innovations, patronage, past and current
meaning of Roman art. The emphasis is on investigating Roman
art and architecture in relation to cultural, political, social, and
economic developments and through an interdisciplinary
approach. To facilitate the understanding of the multifaceted
aspects of Ancient Rome, conventional classroom lectures are
supplemented with field trips to museums, archaeological sites,
and excavations in progress.
Prerequisites: ART 180 Art History I, or ART 186 Art History II,
or equivalents
Art and Architecture of Medieval Rome
ART 325 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This upper level course investigates the art and architecture
of medieval Rome between the years 313 and 1308. In Rome,
remaining churches allow to discover the major medieval
periods and styles (Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic) and
consider them in relation to the most representative medieval
buildings in Italy. In addition to introducing students to
analysis and interpretation of medieval buildings, images, and
sculptures, this course addresses a variety of themes and topics
such as the power of icons and relics, the conflict between the
Papacy and the Empire, pilgrimage, crusading, monasticism,
and liturgical processions. The emphasis is on studying the
impact of cultural, political, economic, and social changes in
the creation of art and architecture during the early and high
Middle Ages. The course also reconstructs the “image” and
cityscape of medieval Rome with its religious leaders and
multiethnic society while examining, among other issues, the
strategies developed to visually promote the Papacy, the causes
for monastic popularity, the renewal of classicism during the
Carolingian period and the age of Frederick II. To facilitate the
understanding of the multifaceted aspects of medieval Rome,
conventional classroom lectures are supplemented with visits
to churches and other ecclesiastical buildings.
Prerequisites: ART 180 Art History I, or ART 186 Art History II,
or equivalents
High Renaissance and Mannerism
ART 340 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course traces the major trends of Italian art in the sixteenth
century. It is a period dominated by the achievements of
Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, and above all, Michelangelo.
These three artists are examined in great detail. This analysis
is not confined to their works of art, but also includes their
personalities and the social framework within which they
lived and worked. Great emphasis is therefore put on the dual
themes of patronage and the social position of the artist in
the period. The course also explores the complex and refined
style known as Mannerism - a style held to have emerged from
tendencies present in Michelangelo’s work. Students learn to
identify and examine in detail the works of the leading artists
of the period, and gain the ability to discuss High Renaissance
and Mannerist developments of major subjects and genres,
such as portraiture and the nude. In the host city students visit
various unique churches, galleries, residences, and squares
related to the period, and examine in person masterworks by
representative artists.
Prerequisites: ART 180 Art History I, or ART 186 Art History II,
or equivalents
Baroque Art
ART 350 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course covers the Baroque style in art and architecture,
with with particular emphasis on seventeenth-century Italy. This
consideration of Baroque art is not only limited to a stylistic
analysis but involves continual reference to the religious,
political, cultural and social framework of the period. The
social rise of the artist in the seventeenth century is illustrated
through the career of Bernini. Special focus is placed on major
artists including Carracci, Caravaggio, Bernini, Borromini,
Pietro da Cortona and their workshops, and on their role in the
development of a wider Italian and European artistic language.
Students will become familiar with the main characteristics
of the Baroque style and with key issues and trends and
issues, such as iconography and emblem culture, Naturalism,
Classicism, and Triumphalism.
Prerequisites: ART 180 Art History I, or Art History II, or
equivalents
Italian Contemporary Art
ART 353 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The course focuses on Italian art of the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and
‘80s analyzing movements and artists whose work represents a
dialogue with international developments, from Abstraction to
Informale, from Arte Povera to Transavanguardia. The course is
divided into a first part analyzing movements and artists, and a
second part examining places and personalities representative
of the experience of Italian Modern Art. Artists studied include
Renato Guttuso, Renato Schifano, Mimmo Paladino, and
Francesco Clemente. The course has a specific focus on Rome
as a city of uninterrupted exchange with other Italian centers
(such as Milan, Naples, Turin) and the international panorama,
thanks also to gallery owners and critics such as Ugo Ferranti,
Mario Pieroni, Fabio Sargentini (who introduced American
artists and Conceptual art), Germano Celant and Achille
Bonito Oliva, and to major international exhibitions such as
Contemporanea and Vitalità del Negativo.
Prerequisites: ART 180 Art History I, or ART 186 Art History II,
or equivalents
Avant-garde and Modernist Art (1900-1950)
ART 370 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The course examines conceptual and stylistic trends in
European and American art in the first half of the 20th
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LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014