The course aims to educate in the knowledge and use of images in the intertwining of art, theatre, fashion and advertising that animates the visual and media culture of our time but which has gradually developed since the seventeenth century, with an acceleration between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The primary aim  is the ability to recognize styles: of an artist, of a movement, of an era, with particular attention to the reflection of the change in taste and the perception of works of art in contemporary society, with the connection of artistic languages in the system of media society, between art, fashion and advertising.

It will be important to understand the contexts, from the original ones to their transformation over time and until today: recognizing the style therefore means knowing the development of the history of art and its cultural position in our society, of the much more complex and enlarged world of contemporary production: of design, fashion, advertising and media expression, which cannot ignore a knowledge and use of artistic language, variously transformed and even distorted.

The program of the course will be based on the reading of some images of particular importance, with comparisons between works and artists and the deepening of the most varied aspects of the birth of the work, of the context, commissioning, sources and documents, philological reading and reception of the operates over time, up to our days.

In particular from the 19th century to the present day, with examples of the development of the contemporary, highly communicative image, also from the Baroque age:

1. What is the style in the work of art but also in its broader expressive reflections in the images.

2. Stylistic courses and appeals: from prehistoric times to the present day, examples and comparisons.

3. Context and aspects of the understanding of the works.

4. The work in the history of taste.

5. The work in contemporary society and in the system of media culture.

Historical-artistic disciplines' area, media and culture.

1. Knowledge and understanding: master's students must achieve specialized knowledge and understanding of the reading of images and the historical and contextual processes of their formation. They will have to reach the mastery of the basic knowledge related to the identification of works and artists in their time, school, territory, knowing how to evaluate quality and relationships, comparisons with similar and different works, finally reach a mature ability to read the works, characterizing the context .

Students acquire this knowledge through the attendance of lectures,  classroom exercises led by the teacher and through the study of the exam texts, as well as through participation in seminars and, if possible, visits to exhibitions and museums.

2. Apply knowledge and understanding: master's students must be able to apply the methodologies of historical-artistic study and to apply the knowledge and the ability to understand the processes of birth, growth and decline of historical-artistic phenomena, in their relationship with society and contexts, coming to read similarities and differences between different expressions of style and history of art in time and space.

Students acquire this knowledge by attending lectures, conducting classroom exercises led by the teacher and by studying the exam texts, as well as through participation in seminars and, if possible, visits to exhibitions and museums.

3. Judgment skills: master's students must achieve critical judgment skills on works, artists, movements, on their meanings and on the relationship with the public, as well as with the variation of taste that entails changes in the reception of works in different periods, with particular attention to the connection and to the changes linked to contemporaneity.

Students acquire these skills through classroom discussions with the teacher and colleagues during lessons, exercises and group work, and in preparing for the final exam.

4. Communication skills: students must possess written and oral communication skills in Italian, expression skills and competence in the use of the specialized language of the discipline.

Students acquire these skills by interacting in the classroom through questions, answers to the teacher's requests, exchanges with fellow students, making public presentations of exercises and group work, writing a report on the research work carried out in the field of the course, seminars, final exam.

5. Learning skills: The student will have to show an understanding of the concepts and will have to provide examples based on the models learned, in recognizing and comparing the works, be able to identify the geographical area, chronology and quality of the works even at a first reading of they, in addition to connote those studied with further comparisons and historical-critical evaluations also in view of further studies. The student will have to acquire a mature historical-philological profile.

Students acquire these skills through classroom discussion, comparison with classmates during lessons and exercises, argumentation of the answers to the teacher's questions during lessons, presentation of group work and during the exam.

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

Any further teaching material in addition to the texts recommended by the teacher can be found on the Moodle› blended.uniurb.it platform.

Teaching

Lectures (front lesssons), always with images projection and visits to Museums and public or private collection.

Attendance

Attendance is strongly recommended as the unique way to a right study for the exams.

Course books

Handbook of contemporary history of art.

Use and selection of materials and texts for attending students will be specified during lessons. It will be possible a targeted selection of materials and texts and the proposal of an individual program.

Texts and power point by the professor on  blended.

Assessment

Oral exam. Verification of learning will take place through an individual oral interview based on the reference texts for the exam, aimed at evaluating both the learning of the contents by the student and his / her ability to elaborate and argue.

It is possible to present a written paper on a theme agreed with the teacher.

They will give rise to evaluations of excellence: the possession by the student of good critical and in-depth skills; knowing how to connect the main issues addressed in the course; the use of an appropriate language with respect to the specificity of the discipline.

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.

This course does not differentiate between “attending” and “non-attending” students with regard to teaching methods, attendance obligations, course books or assessment.