This course proposes that students approach Medieval Art in the fields of Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting, especially in Italy.

Course aims:

1.     To acquire a familiarity with period and individual styles of Italian Medieval Art through a study of major works and a ready recognition of selected works, and knowledge of relevant factual information;

2.     To understand the main works of art beyond style, iconography, technique, and preservation;

3.     To enable critical comparison and contrasts of different works of art;

4.     To increase interest and desire to continue the study of Art History;

5.     To “connect the dots” between artworks and history and culture.

Medieval art in Europe from the Fourth to the Fourteenth Century. 

The course will consist of a series of classroom lectures, each lasting two hours, and dedicated to a specific topic. 

List of the main topics:

1. Late Antiquity and Early Christian era (4 hours) 

2. Byzantines and Lombards in Italy (4 hours)

3. Carolingian and Ottonian art (2 hours)

4. Romanesque art (10 hours)

5. Gothic art (16 hours)

COURSE SCHEDULE:

FIRST SEMESTER

I week

Art and architecture from the IV century

Rome in the IV and V centuries

II week

Ravenna in the V and in the VI century

Lombard Art

III week

Carolingian and Ottonian art

Castelseprio frescoes

The Romanesque art: an overview

IV week

Romanesque art in Emilia Romagna and Lombardy 

Romanesque art in Tuscany

V week

Romanesque art in Rome

Romanesque art in the south of Italy

SECOND SEMESTER

VI week

Parma and Antelami

Cistercian gothic art

Gotich architecture

VII week

Siena Cathedral

Nicola and Giovanni Pisano

Arnolfo di Cambio

VIII week

Giotto

IX week

Paintings in Siena

The crucifix 

Qualifications that signify completion of the first cycle (e.g. Bachelor's degrees) are awarded to students who:

• have demonstrated knowledge and understanding in a field of study that builds upon their general secondary education, and is typically at a level that, whilst supported by advanced textbooks, includes some aspects that will be informed by knowledge of the forefront of their field of study;
• can apply their knowledge and understanding in a manner that indicates a professional approach to their work or vocation, and have competences typically demonstrated through devising and sustaining arguments and solving problems within their field of study;
• have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their field of study) to inform judgements that include reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues;
• can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences;
• have developed those learning skills that are necessary for them to continue to undertake further study with a high degree of autonomy.

More specifically, on completion of this course, students should:

- Recognize the most important Medieval artworks  

- Have mastered a basic understanding of how to research questions in art history

• Have improved their ability to think critically, engage in simple reasoning and express clearly thoughts  

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

In-class lessons.

Innovative teaching methods

The lectures will be enriched with:

• flipped lesson on some topics of the course;
• individual and group exercises and in-depth studies, which students will carry out using the University's Moodle platform.

SEMINAR 

Students will be offered the opportunity to take a one-credit Seminar to integrate theoretical knowledge with methodological skills and professionalizing practices. In the Seminar, entitled "Making the invisible visible: using digital tools and technologies to visualize altered or lost artistic contexts for scientific purposes" students will be asked to work independently and individually on a topic assigned by the teacher, following the guidelines given them by the Professor in a series of lessons (12 hours), and to present the results in front of the class.

Mandatory attendance.

Attendance

To be considered attending students, students must attend at least two-thirds of the lessons. 

Course books

Beyond knowledge of the topics covered during the course, for which slides will be downloaded on the Moodle platform for easy consultation, the study of the following text is requried: 

- I. Baldriga, Dentro l'arte. Contesto metodo confronti, II vol., Dal Tardoantico al Gotico, Milano, Mondadori Education, 2016.  

Assessment

The exam will consist of an oral exam based on all the topics covered in the course. 

Assessment criteria and Reported Grades: 
30: Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading/research beyond that required for the course
27-29: This is the highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised. There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lectures and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions.
23-26: This is an acceptable level of performance and provides clear but limited answers, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
18-22: This level of performance demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material. Important information is omitted and irrelevant points are included. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Individual study.

Course books

-Salvatore Settis, Tomaso Montanari, Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, vol. 2, Dall'Alto Medioevo alla fine del Trecento, Milano, Mondadori Education, 2019.

Assessment

The exam will consist of an oral exam based on the verification of the learning of the textbooks; in the test the images contained in the textbooks will be used.

Assessment criteria and Reported Grades: 
30: Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading/research beyond that required for the course
27-29: This is the highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised. There is a demonstration of some ability to evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice critically. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions.
23-26: This is an acceptable level of performance and provides clear but limited answers, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
18-22: This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material. Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.