The course is dedicated to the arts and the artists of the Nineteenth century and intends to deepen specifically the artistic production and the changes in the artist's status (real, imaginary, and symbolic) starting with the transformations taking place in the art system. Nineteenth-century arts will be studied in depth, paying particular attention to the reading of the most significant works of French art and to the historical and cultural context of their production and fruition, as well as the artist's new strategies that emerged between the fall of the Napoleonic Empire and the end of the century. The different artistic languages will be explored to underline peculiarities of the individual artists and thus explore from a close perspective some of the most significant artworks of the 19th century; through a series of case studies, we will enucleate the elements which determined the merge of a new status for modern artists, through the lens of the social history of art (salons, magazines, critics, dealers, collectors) with a close reading of contemporary texts.

Nineteenth-Century Art and Artists  

The analysis of artworks and writings by artists and critics will guide the in-depth study of the protagonists of this Movement, in a chronological span ranging from the 1910s to the 1930s. The course will be divided into the following parts:

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The art and artists of the nineteenth century
The analysis of works, critical and autobiographical writings will guide the study of the protagonists of this season, in a chronological arc that ranges from the fall of the Napoleonic Empire to the end of the century. The course will be divided into the following thematic cores:

- Introduction to the course and methodology  (1 lesson)

- The dialectic of the modern: Eugène Delacroix and Jean-Auguste Dominque Ingres (2 lessons)

- Nature and landscape (1 lesson)

- July Monarchy and Juste Milieu: the illustrated print and the artist's image (2 lessons)

-  Gustave Courbet and Jean-Léon Gérôme: Realism, Firefighters and photography (2 lessons)

-  The painter of modern life: Charles Baudelaire and Édouard Manet  (2 lessons)

- Impressionism and the art market (2 lessons)

- The pathology of the artist: Paul Cézanne, Emile Zola and the myth of Frenhofer (2 lessons)

- Félix Fénéon and Post-Impressionism (2 lessons)

Knowledge and understanding: The student will be able to recognise, describe and contextualise the works of art examined during lessons or present in the textbooks, demonstrating a mature ability to read them.

Applying knowledge and understanding: The student will learn to confront himself with primary sources (litrerary texts and critical writings) as well as with secondary literature thus acquiring a high historical-philological profile. 

Making judgments: The student will reach a critical awareness that will allow him/her to formulate autonomous judgments on the basis of the information and skills acquired in class and through individual study.

Communication: The student will demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly and effectively the knowledge acquired, using the specific terminology of contemporary art history.

Lifelong learning skills: The student will be able to apply their knowledge and their skills to solve problems and tackle autonomously new issues. 

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.

Attendance

Attendance is highly recommended. 

Course books

Federica Rovati, L'arte dell'Ottocento, Einaudi 2019

Beyond the study of these texts, is requried the knowledge of the topics covered during the course, for which slides and further readings will be downloaded on the Moodle platform for easy consultation.

Assessment

A student is considered to be attending if he/she has attended at least 25 hours of lessons, corresponding to 70% of the total hours. The final evaluation will be based on the following criteria

a) punctuality and attendance at lessons, class participation: 30% (9/30 of the final grade)

b) assessment through the final test: 70% (21/30 of the final grade). The final assessment will take place through an oral exam. This exam will consist in the recognition of three artworks among those studied in class or present in the reference manuals (7 + 7 + 7 = 21/30). For each image, starting from the recognition of the author, the title, the year and the technique of execution, the student must be able to describe the work of art using the appropriate specific terminology and to demonstrate a mature historical and critical contextualization of movements, expressive languages, and each artist's poetics. Students will also have to demonstrate full command of the assigned bibliography, critical awareness and a mature ability to read works of art, demonstrating an understanding of the relationships between the different movements examined during the course.

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

F. Rovati, L'arte dell'Ottocento, Einaudi 2019.

Non-attending students should also study the following text:

Assessment

A student is considered a non-attending student if he/she has attended less than 25 hours of lessons, corresponding to 70 per cent of the total number of hours. The final assessment will take place through an oral exam. The final evaluation will be based on the following criteria: 

- This exam will consist in the recognition of three artworks among those studied in class or present in the reference manuals (7 + 7 + 7 = 21/30). For each image, starting from the recognition of the author, the title, the year and the technique of execution, the student must be able to describe the work using the appropriate specific terminology and to demonstrate a mature historical and critical contextualization of artworks, styles and individual poetics. Students will also have to demonstrate full command of the assigned bibliography, critical awareness and a mature ability to read works of art, demonstrating an understanding of the relationships between the different artworks examined during the course.

- Two open questions on the supplementary text (9/30):

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.