Course Description
An introduction to art in Italy, this course covers, to varying degrees, ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque art. Using traditional classroom methods and on-site activities, students address issues of style, meaning, and context.
Athena Title
Introduction to Italian Art
Non-Traditional Format
This course is aimed at non-majors in the Cortona Maymester program; assignments integrate visual analysis with historical context.
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
In this course, students will develop their visual, verbal, and literary skills through formal and historical analysis. Since the class will take place wholly in Italy, the students will have the opportunity to see many of the greatest works of western art and architecture, from the Pantheon to the Sistine Ceiling to Bernini’s David. By covering broad chronological periods, roughly ca. 500BCE until 1600CE, the students will see, discuss, and study works of ancient, medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art in Italy. The monuments chosen for consideration will be shaped by two factors: the instructor and the locations visited by the class. Each city chosen will lead, inevitably, to particular chronological and conceptual foci. For example, four days are spent in Rome. Depending on the instructor, emphasis can be placed on the ancient monuments, the Baroque collections, or the Renaissance paintings. Other cities visited are: Florence, Siena, Tivoli, and, of course, Cortona. Other options include Orvieto, Assisi, Pisa, and others. Regardless of location, the basic structure of the course remains consistent: lectures on specific topics of relevance, art history readings related to the lectures and the visits, oral presentations, and written assignments. One model has the students provide commentary on site and write four papers on four different works of art in four cities. Another can have them write two exam papers and present a research topic on site. Together the oral and written assignments transform the learning process from passive listening to active preparation and response. Students are required to look intelligently, to describe effectively, and to write cogently. All of these are skills of value to them in whatever career paths they choose.
Topical Outline
Introduction to Program (March, in U.S.). Basic information on living and studying in Italy; presentation of syllabus and advanced reading assignment (students are required to read a textbook introduction to Italian art before arriving in Cortona). What follows are two of the possible models for this course. Depending on the instructor and his or her area of specialization, the focus on different aspects of the history of Italian art (ancient to Baroque) can be altered and adjusted. These changes can include variations in location and even assignments, but the basic scheme—site visits, lectures, and written and oral assignments—remains consistent. I. From Ancient Rome to Baroque Italy—Revival and Reinvention 1. Cortona visit and discussion of major Etruscan, medieval, and Renaissance buildings, sculptures, and paintings 2-hour lecture on Cortona as an emblematic “hill town”—emphasis placed on the development of late medieval style and the Christian/Franciscan visual culture 3-page paper on work of art seen in Cortona 2. Siena visit and discussion of major medieval and Renaissance sites—Cathedral Complex (4 buildings) and Palazzo Pubblico 2-hour lecture on medieval and Renaissance architecture and sculpture from Nicola Pisano to Michelangelo 3-page paper on work of art seen in Siena 3. Florence (3 days) visit and discussion of major works of Renaissance architecture, sculpture, and painting (including, but not limited to: Uffizi, Accademia, Bargello, San Lorenzo, Medici Chapel, Piazza della Signoria, Boboli Gardens, Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria Novella, Sant-Apollonia, Or San Michele, Baptistery, Cathedral, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Santa Croce) 2-hour lecture on Renaissance competition—painting and sculpture 3–page paper on work of art seen in Florence 4. Tivoli and Rome (4 days) visit and discussion of works of ancient, Renaissance and Baroque works (including, but not limited to: Villa d’Este, Villa Borghese, Saint Peter’s, Vatican Museum, Capitoline Museum, Barberini Collection, Santa Maria del Popolo, Sant’Agostino, Piazza Navona, Santa Maria Minerva, Pantheon, San Luigi dei Francesi, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Sant’Andrea al Quirinale, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontante, Trevi Fountain, Forum) 2-hour lecture on Renaissance and Baroque revival of antique forms 3-page paper on work of art seen in Rome II Ancient Rome and its Renaissance and Modern Archeology 1. Cortona tour of city emphasizing Etruscan origins and remains* 2-hour lecture on Etruria and Greece 2. Florence tour of city emphasizing Roman origins and visiting classical remains (including Fiesole) 2-hour lecture on Etruria and early Rome Written assignment on ancient Italy and its urban structure 3. Arezzo tour of city emphasis on archeological sites and museum and visit to excavation 2-hour lecture on archeology in modern Italy 4. Rome, Tivoli, and Pompeii 3 days visiting ancient and Renaissance monuments with emphasis on Roman urban planning and building, including Hadrian’s Villa and Ostia Antica and day trip to Pompeii 2-hour lecture on Republican and Imperial Rome Written assignment on Roman cities *In each city, part of the class will present findings on a particular excavation or work excavated in the area.
General Education Core
CORE IV: World Languages and Global Culture