We are historians but art's ones. Therefore the course aims to achieve mastery of the procedures that characterize the foundations of historical-artistic master's training, in particular by activating the historical-philological method, combining theoretical knowledge and practice for the achievement of a high profile, indispensable in the exercise of teaching professionalism and in every possible application of the Master's Degree in History of Art.

The course aims to educate to the knowledge and recognition of styles: of an artist, of a movement, of an era, connoting their exclusive and recurring characters, in order to make students able to recognize artists and works.

The form as content opens to the understanding of the context and therefore of the history that makes that language possible: recognizing the style therefore means knowing the development of the history of art starting from its most direct expression, the formal one: the language of forms.

Artists, schools, movements in the various historical-artistic junctions will be selected, identifying the styles, their formation and diffusion, the similarities and differences and the courses and recurrences even in large spans of time.

The course program aims to educate in the reading of images and will refer to comparisons between works and artists, trying to gradually reach an understanding of styles, starting from the most general topics to get to the individual historical-artistic moments, artists, works, movements .

The course will focus on some aspects of art between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in particular in the context of the Urbino court and around the dominant figure of Federico Barocci (1533-1612) painter, draftsman, engraver, protagonist on a European level but viscerally linked to his Urbino.

Particular attention will be paid to the theme of training, in the context still lapped by the Raphaelesque and Renaissance heritage, to follow the composition of Barocci's style, in an articulated and innovative path, in the cultural panorama of the Counter-Reformation, where the new naturalist and modern sensibility emerges.

The study path will mainly focus on:

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

2. Style of an era, style of a movement, style of an art school.

3. Masters and pupils.

4. Exercises in attribution.

6. Federico Barocci, training, models, developments, sectors of activity, legacy.

7. Federico Barocci, a style, a school, a legacy.

Historical-artistic disciplines' and culture area.

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

Seminars and meetings with external specialists.

Teaching

Lectures (front lessons) always with images projections. Visits to the exhibition held in Palazzo Ducale, Urbino, Federico Barocci. L'emozione della pittura moderna. Museums, public and private collections, exhibitions, churches.

Attendance

Attendance is strongly recommended as unique way to prepare the exam.

Course books

B. Agosti, A.M. Ambrosini Massari, Barocci dentro e fuori Bellori, (Centro InArtS, Uniurb). Ancona, Il Lavoro editoriale 2024.

Federico Barocci Urbino. L'emozione della pittura moderna, catalogo della mostra Urbino 2024, a cura di L. Gallo, A.M. Ambrosini Massari

Power points and choosen texts will be available on the blended platform and will be an integral part of the exam.

Materials and texts will be selected in class for attending students, also with targeted and individually chosen paths.

Assessment

Oral examination. 

The exam will be held through an individual interview based on textbooks suggested. The aim is to evaluate both student's comprehension of the content and his ability in reworking concepts and in argumenting. It is possibile to present a written document on a topic agreed with the teacher. 

Excellent grades will be given in presence of: a good critical perspective and in depth study; knowing how to link among them the main subjects addressed during the course; the use of an appropriate language.

Good grades will be given in presence of: good mnemonic knowledge of the contents; a relatively good critical perspective and connection skills related to the treated topics; the use of appropriate language.

Sufficient grades will be given in presence of: the achievement of a minimal knowledge on the treated themes, even in presence of some gaps; the use of a not appropriate language.

Negative grades will be given in presence of: a difficult orientation related to the the treated topics; knowledge gaps; the use of a not appropriate language.

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.

Attendance

Follow the not attending additional information and lists of texts.

Course books

To provide the opportunity for non-attending students to balance out their individual study with the content of the lessons and gain a full understanding of the course, the programme includes following supplementary materials:

B. Agosti, A.M. Ambrosini Massari, Barocci dentro e fuori Bellori, (Centro InArtS, Uniurb). Ancona, Il Lavoro editoriale 2024.

Federico Barocci Urbino. L'emozione della pittura moderna, catalogo della mostra Urbino 2024, a cura di L. Gallo, A.M. Ambrosini Massari

Power points and choosen texts will be available on the blended platform and will be an integral part of the exam.

Assessment

Oral examination. 

The exam will be held through an individual interview based on textbooks suggested. The aim is to evaluate both student's comprehension of the content and his ability in reworking concepts and in argumenting. It is possibile to present a written document on a topic agreed with the teacher. 

Excellent grades will be given in presence of: a good critical perspective and in depth study; knowing how to link among them the main subjects addressed during the course; the use of an appropriate language.

Good grades will be given in presence of: good mnemonic knowledge of the contents; a relatively good critical perspective and connection skills related to the treated topics; the use of appropriate language.

Sufficient grades will be given in presence of: the achievement of a minimal knowledge on the treated themes, even in presence of some gaps; the use of a not appropriate language.

Negative grades will be given in presence of: a difficult orientation related to the the treated topics; knowledge gaps; the use of a not appropriate language.

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.

- Materials, power points and texts will be available on the blended platform and will be an integral part of the exam.