HISTORY OF THE MEDIEVAL ART I
- Academic year
- 2024/2025 Syllabus of previous years
- Official course title
- STORIA DELL'ARTE MEDIEVALE I
- Course code
- FT0233 (AF:376837 AR:289608)
- Modality
- On campus classes
- ECTS credits
- 6
- Degree level
- Bachelor's Degree Programme
- Educational sector code
- L-ART/01
- Period
- 1st Term
- Course year
- 3
- Moodle
- Go to Moodle page
Contribution of the course to the overall degree programme goals
The course aims to give the basic knowledge of Italian and European Art History, from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Major works of art will be described and discussed with emphasis on material aspects, historical periodization and geographic context, as well as to their function and, more generally, into the frame of cultural meaning. Majors artists will find a specific treatment. The course will provide tools for using techincal vocabulary and basic methodology in art history. The course will provide a brief introduction to the tools for research in Art History (catalogs, bibliographies, encyclopedias, databases, etc..).
Expected learning outcomes
knowledge and understanding: knowledge of terminology; knowledge of main artists' poetic and works of art, groups and movements in the field of visual arts from the Fifties to nowadays;
1) ability to apply knowledge and understanding: knowledge of how to recognize figurative works and styles; place the works in their historical and geographical context;
2) ability to elaborate personal analysis on the identification of iconographic themes and their iconological meaning; to be able to argue with full ownership of language and formal analysis
3) learning skills: being able to understand how to connect a work of art or an author to cultural and artistic movements / groups or to a specific cultural moment, making comparisons between different works of art, authors and themes;
4) communication skills: knowing how to use an appropriate and specific terminology, introduced and explained at lesson or on recommended texts and books.
Pre-requirements
Contents
Referral texts
Four readings:
E. Castelnuovo, Introduzione, in Artifex bonus. Il mondo dell’artista medievale, Bari, Laterza, 2004, pp. V-XXXV
S. de Blaauw, Storia dell’architettura italiana. Da Costantino a Carlo Magno, Milano, Electa, 2010, pp. 22-53 (cap. 1. Le origini e gli inizi dell’architettura cristiana)
E. Panofsky, Rinascimento e rinascenze, cap. 2, in Rinascimento e rinascenze nell’arte occidentale, Milano, 1971 (ed. or., Stockolm 1960), pp. 61-136
X. Barral y Altet, Inventare l’arte romanica: la costruzione di una disciplina, in Id., Contro l’arte romanica?. Saggio su un passato reinventato, Milano, Jaca Book, 2009 (ed. or. Paris 2006), pp. 7-50
PDF Lessons uploaded in MOODLE
Be consulted, to support the lessons and exam preparation:
one handbook on artistic terms (i.e.: F. Gualdoni, Dizionario Skira dei termini artistici, Ginevra, Skira, 2010; or L. Grassi, M. Pepe, Dizionario dei termini artistici, Milano, 1994)
one handbook on artistic tecniques (i.e.: Arti e tecniche del Medioevo, a cura di F. Crivello, Torino, Einaudi, 2006; oppure Arti e storia nel Medioevo. II. Del costruire: tecniche, artisti, artigiani, committenti, a cura di E. Castelnuovo, Sergi, Torino, Einaudi, 2003, pp. 431-698; oppure Le tecniche artistiche, a cura di C. Maltese, Milano 1981)
To broaden and/or focus topics and authors see: Enciclopedia dell’Arte medievale, 12 voll., Roma, Treccani,1991-2002. Also in the web version: http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ricerca/enciclopedia-dell'arte-medievale/Enciclopedia_dell'_Arte_Medievale/
During lessons could be provided, eventually for specific case, additional bibliography for further study.
Assessment methods
Oral exam consists of recognition of images (taken from the manual and lessons discussed during the course, available on pdf in ISA). Questions on Object, Location, Material and technique, Dating, Artist, Iconographic Subject (40%); Short critical history of the object; Iconographic description; Iconologic interpretation; Short commentary on style (40%). Discussion on the readings choised (20%) .
The oral examination will focus on the works of art, the topics discussed during the course and the readings pointed out from time to time.