This course will survey the history of the arts in Italy from ca. 1400 to ca. 1575. In lectures and discussion we will examine the conception of cultural "rebirth" which helps to define this period, the emergence of individual artistic personalities, and significant aspects of patronage, philosophy and theology which affect the making and understanding of works of art. Class lectures will be organized around the urban centers of this period, with a focus on the courtly or civic patronage exercised.

Attendance in class is essential to understanding the material and developing a visual memory of the works discussed. We will take a required field trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art .

The first writing assignment will ask each student to examine some of the original documentation of the period. Details of Paper One will be posted when appropriate.

Each student will also complete a research paper on a topic individually chosen and approved by the professor, probably focussed on the work of a single artist. Details of this assignment will be posted when appropriate.

See the course evaluation section of the syllabus for a breakdown of how much each part of the class counts toward the final grade.

Required text: PAOLETTI, John and Gary RADKE. Art in Renaissance Italy. 3rd ed.

Optional text: BRADSHAW, Marilyn. Italian Renaissance Art, A Sourcebook

Materials for this class, including the lectures, will be available online through Allegheny's course management software Sakai. If you are enrolled in this class, you will be able to access this material with your regular login information.

Supplemental materials will be handed out and discussed in class.

http://merlin.allegheny.edu/employee/a/acarr/art225.html

Last updated 7 September 2009