HISTORY OF ART PATRONAGE

The course, considered as a core educational activity, aims to provide methodological tools that allow the student to understand who were the subjects who required works of art from artists during the 15th and 16th centuries, particularly in Venice. The relationship between patrons and artists will be explored in depth so that the student can learn the genesis of a work of art, also noting its iconographic, theoretical, economic and socio-political implications.

- knowledge and understanding: knowledge of terminology; knowledge of main artists' poetic and works of art, groups and movements in the field of visual arts during the Renaissance;
- ability to apply knowledge and understanding: knowledge of how to use a precise terminology and ability to recognize main artists and works of art specified on the program, formulating an explanatory and argumentative exposure about artists' works and poetics;
- ability to understand: how to analyze a work of art or an artist's poetry or a group / movement among the studied ones, relating them to a correct temporal and cultural collocation; to be able to argue with property of language and correct formal analysis;
- communication skills: knowing how to use an appropriate and specific terminology, introduced and explained at lesson or on recommended texts and books; apply a good Italian syntax and grammar; being able to behave in a respectful and profitable way with professors and peers;
- 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 themes based on thematic, formal, poetic bases.

Basic knowledge of 15th and 16th centuries Art History.

Venetian patrons between the 15th and 16th centuries: painting and sculpture.
The course aims to offer an overview of the patrons who required works of art from artists in the city of Venice for the most diverse places and with the most diverse functions. Different cases will be analyzed, referring to various examples of patronage: from the direct patronage of government for the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale), to corporate bodies such as the Scuole Grandi, up to religious contexts and particular cases of choices by private citizens for their homes.

• Il Palazzo Ducale di Venezia, a cura di U. Franzoi, W. Wolters, Venezia 1990 (chapters indicated at the beginning of the lessons).
• La Scuola Grande di San Marco a Venezia, a cura di G. Ortalli, S. Settis, R. Battaglia, Modena 2017 (chapters indicated at the beginning of the lessons).
• R. Goffen, Devozione e committenza. Bellini, Tiziano e i Frari, Venezia 1986 (chapters indicated at the beginning of the lessons).
• S. Settis, Artisti e committenti fra Quattro e Cinquecento, Torino 2010 (chapters indicated at the beginning of the lessons).
• G. Zaccariotto, “Vivitur ingenio”. I Tre filosofi di Giorgione e Taddeo Contarini, Roma 2025.

A more specific bibliography will be distributed at the beginning of the lessons and on the Moodle platform.

Verification of learning takes place through an oral test. The exam aims to verify that the knowledge derived from the topics covered during the course and the basic concepts exposed in the reference bibliography and in the teaching materials present on the university's Moodle platform have been acquired.

The course includes frontal lessons with projection of images, discussions of texts and active participation of students through reading exercises of the works of art proposed; visits to collections and monuments covered during classroom lessons are planned.
The course uses the university's e-learning platform (Moodle.unive.it), where the teaching materials will be uploaded.

Italian

Attendance is strongly recommended.

Ca' Foscari applies Italian law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) for support and accommodation services available to students with disabilities or with specific learning disabilities. In case of motor, visual, hearing or other disabilities (Law 17/1999) or a specific learning disorder (Law 170/2010) and need for support (classroom assistance, technological aids for carrying out individualized exams or exams, accessible format material, notes retrieval, specialist tutoring to support the study, interpreters or other), please contact the Disability and SLD office: disable@unive.it.

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