MODERN ART

Modern Art (EM3E17-1) is the first module of a 12-credit course in Modern and Contemporary Art proposed as one of the core educational activities of the Master's Degree Programme in Economics and Management of Arts and Cultural Activities. The course intends to provide a solid preparation on the relationship between art and society in the modern period, with particular attention to the Italian Renaissance. A specific aspect illustrated with a series of examples and models will enable the student to acquire specific analytical tools and develop transversal critical skills useful for an in-depth reflection on project strategies, on the indispensable connections to be established between historical-artistic heritage and economy, also in order to better face current challenges concerning our cultural heritage.

- Demonstrate knowledge and ability to understand the topics developed during the lectures, namely to know the major protagonists, artists, patrons and collectors, especially of the Italian Renaissance period, as well as to understand the role of the frame and the conception of complex decorative systems;
- To be able to apply the acquired knowledge and understanding in a different context and in a new situation, and to problematise using the tools of analysis acquired during the lessons;
- To acquire a learning ability and an autonomy of judgement such as to be able to develop in a coherent and original way a personal reflection on the question of the frame, also extended to an interdisciplinary context;
- To be able to communicate clearly, using the appropriate terminology relating to the work of art and its context, to relate to teachers and peers through constructive dialogue and a collaborative attitude, as well as to demonstrate ability in the exposition of complex reasoning relating to the themes dealt with in the lessons.

A sufficient knowledge of the historical-artistic evolution in the Italian context, with particular attention to the Renaissance period.

The topic of this course is the frame, understood in a broad sense. For a long time considered only in a specialist context, recent studies have reconsidered the ornament in its whole, recovering a broader conceptual dimension: in fact, it constitutes a boundary between the work and its public, where an undeniable process of contextualisation often takes place. The many examples treated during the lessons, mainly from the Renaissance period, will be used to stimulate a reflection on the relationship between the artist and the spectator, between the work of art and its context, with insights also on the conservation of works of art, by analysing the various types of structures, the organisation of space, as well as the implications deriving from the stratification of meanings in the reception of the work of art inside and/or outside its frame.

Besides the personal lecture notes, the following texts should be studied to prepare for the exam:
- John K. G. SHEARMAN, Arte e spettatore nel Rinascimento italiano: “only connect…”, Milano, Jaca Book, 1995 (the first two chapters, p. 10-107);
- Victor I. STOICHIŢĂ, L’invenzione del quadro, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1998;
- Alison WRIGHT, Frame work: honour and ornament in Italian Renaissance art, New Haven/London, Yale University Press, 2019;
- Giancarla PERITI, On Correggio, frames, and the borders of the Renaissance image, «Res», 71/72, Spring/Autumn 2019, p. 145-161.

The examination consists of a written test with open questions. In the overall evaluation, participation during the lessons and the oral presentation during the seminar part will be taken into account (30%). Should the health emergency continue, the written test, maintaining the same format, will be held virtually in Open Book mode.

In addition to the lectures, there will be seminar sessions in which students, in groups or individually, will present a short paper on a topic agreed with the lecturer at the beginning of the course. Possible external visits and interventions will be proposed, taking into account the evolution of the epidemiological situation and respecting the anti-contagion precautions.

Italian

written