HISTORY OF ART CRITICISM

The course aims to provide the student with the critical and methodological tools for interpreting an artistic phenomenon or a work of art, especially from the point of view of its reception and its critical fortune over time. The purpose is to encourage the development of personal critical thinking skills and autonomous research paths.
The course of History of art criticism is scheduled among the educational activities of the Master’s Degree in History of Arts and Conservation of Artistic Heritage (Medieval and Byzantine, Modern and Contemporary study plans).

- knowledge and understanding: knowledge of the method to interpret the artistic sources; knowledge of the specific lexicon of art history and art criticism.
- ability to apply knowledge and understanding: knowledge of how to use the specific vocabulary of the discipline to analyze, in relation to sources, an artistic phenomenon or a work of art.
- judgment ability: capability to express an organic critical view of the topics introduced in class or debated in reference texts; capability to analyze works of art, historical-artistic periodizations and the relationship between art and spectators.
- communication skills: knowing how to use an appropriate and specific terminology; to be able to apply a good Italian syntax and grammar.
- learning skills: acquisition of the methodological skills necessary to develop a personal judgment through the analysis of artistic literature and sources in general.

No prerequisites are required, except a general knowledge of art history and artistic literature.

The course will examine, in its different aspects, the theme of portraiture in art.
The lessons will trace the history of portraiture with a diachronic and thematic approach, offering targeted focus, analyzing the dynamics of the phenomenon and identifying the methodological tools to achieve its correct critical interpretation.

- Lessons notes

- É. Pommier, Il ritratto: storia e teorie dal Rinascimento all'età dei lumi, Torino 2003.
- J. Hall, L'autoritratto. Una storia culturale, Torino 2014.

Suggested readings
- E. Castelnuovo, Ritratto e società in Italia: dal Medioevo all'avanguardia, edited by F. Crivello and M. Tomasi, Torino 2015.

Further bibliography will possibly be provided during the course.

The examination will include both a written and an oral part, of equal importance for the assessment.

Written part
Production of a personal paper, to be structured and submitted in advance according to the methods explained at the beginning of the lessons and then posted on the course Moodle page;
Evaluation criteria: completeness of content and bibliographic research (10 points); clarity and lexical coherence (5 points).

Oral part
Discussion of the personal paper as well as of the topics addressed during the lectures or found in the bibliography.
Evaluation criteria: knowledge and in-depth knowledge (10 points); confidence and organicity in exposition (5 points).

Honours will be awarded for excellent knowledge, judgement and communication skills.

oral

Assessment will be based on the level of knowledge and understanding of the topics addressed in the classroom or in the assigned bibliography, as well as on personal expression and revision skills.
More specifically:
- scores in band 18-22 will be awarded in the presence of sufficient knowledge and understanding with reference to the syllabus, limited ability to formulate autonomous judgements and retrieval of specialist bibliography, sufficient communication skills, especially in relation to the use of the language specific to the discipline.
- scores in band 23-26 will be awarded in the presence of discrete knowledge and understanding with reference to the syllabus, discrete ability to formulate independent judgements and retrieval of specialist literature, discrete communication skills, especially in relation to the use of the specific language of the discipline.
- Scores in the 27-30 bracket will be awarded in the presence of good or very good knowledge and comprehension with reference to the syllabus, good or very good ability to formulate independent judgements and retrieval of specialist bibliography, fully appropriate communication skills, especially in relation to the use of the specific language of the discipline.
Honours will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge, communication skills and the ability to both understand and make judgements.

Frontal lectures with images projections, readings, dialogic interaction with students, seminar activities, visits to exhibitions and museums.
The course uses the university e-learning platform (moodle.unive.it), where teaching materials will be made available.

Attendance at classes is highly recommended.

For any updates or additions, please consult the Moodle page of the course.

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 competent office: inclusione@unive.it.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development