HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL ART

The course is scheduled among the affine/integrative art-historical disciplines in the Master’s Degree Programme in Economics and administration of arts and culture.

The course aims to develop:
1) knowledge and ability to understand medieval works of art from their historical reality to contemporary perception;
2) ability to apply knowledge and understanding in examining the cultural processes from the formation of early collections of medieval works of art to their display in museums (musealized sites) and exhibitions;;
3) ability to elaborate personal analysis on medieval objects, contexts, and meanings of works of art from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age and in making semantic connections between images, monuments, and exhibition spaces;
4) communication skills addressed to analyze and describe works of art, their contexts of origin (including musealized sites) and their decontextualization in museums and exhibitions, using the technical vocabulary of Art History;
5) being able to behave in a professional, collaborative and profitable way with professors and colleagues.

No expected prerequisites for attending the course

The teaching, basically divided into two sections (I: theoretical and methodological bases; II: collections, museums, exhibitions), aims to investigate, from a historical perspective: the perception, reception, function and meaning of medieval art up to the present day, and to provide the tools for the analysis of collections, museums and exhibitions devoted to the Middle Ages.
During the first period, the course aims to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to examine the nature of objects produced during the Middle Ages, their symbology, their connection to context, their use and function. We will then address the perception and reception of the Middle Ages in the various historical periods, considering the collections of medieval objects, from private collections to public museums, while also considering current exhibition events and the phenomenon of blockbuster exhibitions.
The second part will examine exemplary cases: collections, museums and musealized sites, or exhibitions devoted to medieval art. During this period, lectures will include classroom presentation and discussion of students' research. This year's the coruse will also include the upcoming exhibition on "Rome in the Middle Ages".

When possible, the course will also include field lectures in museums, collections or exhibitions dedicated to medieval art and participation in lectures by international scholars. This year's tour will include a visit to the upcoming exhibition on "Rome in the Middle Ages"

D. Freedberg, The Power of Images. Studies in the History and Theory of Response, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1989, cap. 1.
S.J. Freedberg, G. Jackson-Stops, R.E. Spear, “On Art History and the Blockbuster Exhibition”, The Art Bulletin, 69, 2, 1987, 295-298.
F. Haskell, The ephemeral museum. Old master paintings and the rise of the art exhibition, New Haven, 2000
Medioevo/Medioevi. Un secolo di esposizioni d’arte medievale, a cura di E. Castelnuovo, A. Monciatti, Edizioni della Normale, Pisa, 2008, Introduzione, pp. IX-; D. Levi, Il Medioevo in mostra nell'Ottocento: alcuni spunti e riflessioni, pp. 1-29; F. Dell'Acqua, Il Medioevo in USA e The Year 1200 (New York 1970), pp. 331-363; A. Monciatti, La Mostra giottesca del 1937 a Firenze, pp. 141-167; A. Peroni, Il Medioevo in mostra tra archeologia arti e storia: alcune consideraioni (e qualche interrogativo), pp. 465-479.
D. Levi, “At what expense? And at what risk?”. Qualche riflessione sulla legittimità delle mostre, in Predella, anno IV, n. 16, dic. 2005, numero speciale, Il sonno della ragione genera mostre (http://www.predella.it/archivio/predella16/ )

PDF Lessons uploaded in MOODLE

Any bibliographical updates concerning the specific lectures and/or topics covered will be provided during the course

Classroom Lecture: Presentation with Power Point (or other image viewer), 15 minutes. Participation (20%)
• Original research paper (30%)
• The paper must be delivered to the professor no later than 15 days before the examination. Text max 20 pages (excluding Footnotes, Bibliography and Illustrations), times new roman 12; Space 1.5. Footnotes according to thesis standards. Illustrations at the end of the text, with list illustrations. Final Bibliography: Sources; Studies, in alphabetical order
• Oral examination on the general bibliography and specific readings for lessons (50%)

Lectures with projected images; tutorials on medieval texts reading; papers and discussions. Students will present in class a research that will be the subject of collegial discussion. The research will be delivered to the teacher and it will be part of the final evaluation process.

English

Given the nature of the course, attendance is strongly recommended.

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