HISTORY OF BYZANTINE ART (ADVANCED COURSE)

The course of History of Byzantine Art is scheduled among the characterizing activities of the Master's Degree “History of Arts and Conservation of Artistic Heritage” (programme: " Medieval and Byzantine”), and among the the similar and integrative training activities of the Master's Degree “Italian Philology and Literature” (programme: Medieval/Renaissance"). This year's course aims to promote the knowledge of the Byzantine artistic heritage in the Veneto area.

- Knowledge and understanding: assimilation of the notions, reflections and concepts transmitted during the lessons;
- Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: to be able to bring back the works of art and the artistic phenomena treated in class in the socio-cultural and spatial-temporal areas of belonging;
- Ability to judge: to be able to grasp the most significant aspects of each work of art, whether they belong to the formal, iconographic, iconological, symbolic, socio-cultural, aesthetic fields;
- Communication skills: knowing how to describe works of art and artistic phenomena treated in class using the specific terminology of the discipline; be able to express clearly, and grammatically correct, notions, reflections and concepts acquired during the lessons;
- Learning skills: at the end of the course the student must be able to provide a reading at the same time analytical and critical of the works of art and artistic phenomena treated, integrating the knowledge acquired during the lessons to read the texts indicated.

No prerequisite is required.

The course aims to introduce the student to the knowledge of Byzantine art through the analysis of its testimonies present in the Venetian lagoon. The monumental works (architecture, sculpture, mosaics) and those belonging to the minor arts (jewelry, glass, ivories, ceramics, illuminated codes, textiles, etc.) will be taken into consideration. Particular attention will be paid to the different channels of origin of Greek-Oriental art in Venice: the imitation of models (iconographic, formal, technical-executive, aesthetic, symbolic, liturgical, cultual, political-propaganda) and the phenomena of direct importation (of materials, artifacts and "savoir faire"), which will take into account, as far as possible, the distinction between objects stolen by the Venetians during the Latin occupation of Constantinople (1204-1261) and specimens acquired through commercial exchanges, devotional circuits or donations. The monumental complex of San Marco, the Duomo of Murano, the basilicas of Torcello, the Byzantine manuscripts of the Biblioteca Marciana, and the many icons preserved in churches and museums of Venice, will allow students to familiarize themselves with the topics covered during the lessons through direct contact with the work of art. In addition to lectures, indeed, on-site visits are planned.

MANDATORY readings for exam:

° For an introduction to the St. Mark's Basilica and to the churches of Torcello:
- ZULIANI, Fulvio, San Marco a Venezia, in “Veneto romanico”, edited by Fulvio Zuliani, Milano, Jaca Book, 2008, pp. 35-65.
- TREVISAN Gianpaolo, Santa Maria Assunta e Santa Fosca, in “Veneto romanico”, edited by Fulvio Zuliani, Milano, Jaca Book, 2008, pp. 67-89.

° For an overview of the wall mosaics of the northern Adriatic between the 11th and 13th centuries:
- Rizzardi, Clementina, Mosaici altoadriatici: il rapporto artistico Venezia-Bisanzio-Ravenna in età medievale, Ravenna, Edizioni del Girasole, 1985.

° For the identification of subjects and inscriptions in the mosaic decoration of San Marco:
- VIO Ettore, DA VILLA URBANI Maria, Il repertorio iconografico e le iscrizioni, in “San Marco, basilica patriarcale in Venezia. I mosaici, le iscrizioni, la Pala d’oro, Milano, Fabbri, 1991 pp. 17-215.

° On Tesoro of San Marco and the Pala d’Oro:
- VOLBACH, Fritz W., Opere antiche, tardo-antiche e protobizantine, in “Il tesoro di San Marco”, a cura di H. R. Hahnloser, vol. 2 (“Il tesoro e il museo”), Firenze, Sansoni, 1971, pp. 1-11.
- GRABAR, André, Opere bizantine, in “Il tesoro di San Marco”, a cura di H. R. Hahnloser, vol. 2 (“Il tesoro e il museo”), Firenze, Sansoni, 1971, pp. 13-97.
- POLACCO, Renato, La pala d’oro, in “San Marco: basilica patriarcale in Venezia. I mosaici, le iscrizioni, la pala d’oro”, a cura di M. Andaloro et alii, Milano, Fabbri, 1991, pp. 227-238.

° For the preparation for the exam, in addition to the texts listed above, the reading of ONE essay chosen from the following is required:
- ANDREESCU-TREADGOLD, Irina, L’ingresso a San Marco nell’XI secolo: i primi mosaici del Portal Grande, in “San Marco, la Basilica di Venezia: arte, storia, conservazione”, a cura di Ettore Vio, Venezia, Marsilio, 2019, I, pp. 249-270.
- BARSANTI, Claudia, PILUTTI NAMER, Myriam, Da Costantinopoli a Venezia: nuove spoglie della chiesa di S. Polieucto; nota preliminare, in “Néa Róme”, 6, 2009, pp. 133-156.
- BEVILACQUA, Livia, Le porte ageminate bizantine della basilica, in “San Marco, la Basilica di Venezia: arte, storia, conservazione”, a cura di Ettore Vio, Venezia, Marsilio, 2019, II, pp. 105-116.
- LAZZARINI, Lorenzo, I marmi dell’edicola nota come “capitello del Crocifisso”, in “San Marco, la Basilica di Venezia: arte, storia, conservazione”, a cura di Ettore Vio, Venezia, Marsilio, 2019, I, pp. 177-188.
- MINGUZZI, Simonetta, Lastre scolpite in San Marco: riflessioni sui plutei delle gallerie, in “San Marco, la Basilica di Venezia: arte, storia, conservazione”, a cura di Ettore Vio, Venezia, Marsilio, 2019, II, pp. 21-26.
- RICHARDSON, Joan, Elementi bizantini nell'architettura delle chiese di San Marco, di Santa Fosca di Torcello e del duomo di Jesolo, in “Storia dell’arte marciana”, Atti del convegno internazionale di studi, Venezia, 11-14 ottobre 1994, a cura di Renato Polacco, Venezia, Marsilio, 1997, vol. 1 (“Architettura”), pp. 176-183.
- SINDING-LARSEN, Staale, A walk with Otto Demus: the mosaics of San Marco, Venice, and arthistorical analysis, in “Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia”, 8, 1992, pp. 145-205.
- TIGLER, Guido, I pilastri "acritani": genesi dell’equivoco, in "Florilegium artium. Scritti in memoria di Renato Polacco", a cura di Giordana Trovabene, Padova, Il Poligrafo, 2006, pp. 161-172.
- VALENTI, Devis, Il fregio musivo a tralcio della navata meridionale: analisi, contesto e cronologia, in “San Marco, la Basilica di Venezia: arte, storia, conservazione”, a cura di Ettore Vio, Venezia, Marsilio, 2019, I, 287-296.

° For specific themes and works of art, other bibliographic references can be reported during the lessons. The texts cited that should be untraceable will be provided in pdf format.

The oral exam will focus on the contents of the lessons and compulsory texts (see above, "Reference texts").

Lectures with PowerPoint support specially prepared by the professor.

Italian

Course attendance is strongly recommended.

oral