Note: This course was formerly AHIR 310.

Course Description
This course examines the major developments in central Italian painting, sculpture, architecture, and the culture which produced them between the 13th and the early 16th centuries. Emphasis will be placed on both the significant artistic centers of Assisi and Perugia and on the masters who created important monuments in Florence. The artists to be studied include Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Works of art will be discussed in relation to their original location, function, patronage, style, iconography, and construction. Furthermore, whenever possible, artistic commissions will be viewed either in their intended locales or elsewhere “on-site.”

Course Objectives
Students will be introduced to different inspirational artists and architects who either anticipated the Italian Renaissance or were active during this period of outstanding visual creativity. To better understand the cultural context of these artistic commissions, students will learn to recognize selected masterpieces and how to analyze their stylistic and innovative qualities. They will become acquainted with the original uses and functions of art based on inventive developments in style and in religious and secular subject matter. The goal of the course is to develop students’ critical reasoning and analytical approach to Italian Renaissance art.

Learning Outcomes

• Gain a broad historical knowledge of Italian Renaissance art in context and an understanding of the developments in visual arts in Italy between the 13th and the 16th century
• Recognize different styles and periods in visual arts and discuss and comment on works of art by major artists of the Italian Renaissance
• Identify the language and themes of Italian Renaissance works of art, including the iconography and symbolism of relevant subjects
• Understand the different techniques and material aspects involved in the creation of major works of art

Course Materials
F. Hartt and D. Wilkins, History of Italian Renaissance Art, 6th ed., New York 2007.

Course Fee
$85.00 – Includes digital course reader and guided visits in museums of Perugia and Florence