The course, dedicated to "Giorgio Vasari and the model of the Lives", aims to introduce students to the analysis and knowledge of Vasari's Lives, their genesis and the role of model they played for subsequent writers. Offering an initial choice of passages taken from significant works that preceded them, from antiquity to the fifteenth century, we will take into consideration some of the main voices of artistic historiography, mostly seventeenth-century, indebted to the Vasari model, addressed with particular attention to the comparison between the different approaches and ways of reading works of art.

Durante le lezioni verranno affrontati, oltre a brani tratti da Plinio, Luciano di Samosata, Filostrato Maggiore, Cennino Cennini, Leon Battista Alberti, Lorenzo Ghiberti e Leonardo, passi desunti da:

- Giorgio Vasari, Le Vite de' più eccellenti pittori scultori e architettori nelle redazioni del 1550 e del 1568, a cura di R. Bettarini, P. Barocchi, Firenze, Sansoni, 1966-1987, 6 voll.;

- Giovanni Baglione, Le vite de’ pittori, scultori e architetti dal pontificato di Gregorio XIII fino a tutto quello d’Urbano VIII, Roma 1642;

- Giovan Battista Passeri, Il libro delle vite de’ pittori, scultori et architetti, entro il 1673;

- Giovan Pietro Bellori, Le Vite de’ pittori, scultori e architetti moderni (1672), a cura di E. Borea, introduzione di G. Previtali, Torino, Einaudi, 1976;

- Filippo Baldinucci, Notizie dei professori del disegno, 1681-1728; ed. a cura di F. Ranalli, Firenze 1846

- Filippo Baldinucci, Vita del Cavaliere Gio. Lorenzo Bernino, Firenze 1682

- Carlo Cesare Malvasia, Felsina pittrice. Vite de pittori bolognesi, Bologna 1678, 2 voll., ristampa con note e correzioni di Giampietro Zanotti, Bologna 1841;

- Lione Pascoli, Vite de’ pittori, scultori, ed architetti moderni, 1730, ed. a cura di A. Marabottini, Perugia 1992.

1. Knowledge and understanding: students must achieve specialized knowledge and understanding of the processes characterizing the different artistic techniques examined, their history and their recognition. They will therefore have to identify the main protagonists, the chronological and cultural contexts in which they expressed themselves, knowing how to evaluate their quality and relationships, comparisons with similar and different works, finally reaching a mature ability to read the different works presented, in relation to their context. In particular, they will have to achieve the ability to distinguish the different drawing techniques, the graphic ductus of the artists examined, the relationship between drawing and other artistic elaborations, as well as knowledge and ability to understand the main engraving techniques.

This knowledge is acquired through attending lessons, carrying out classroom exercises led by the teacher and through the study of exam texts, as well as through participation in seminars and, if possible, visits to exhibitions and museums.

2. Apply knowledge and understanding: students must be able to apply the study methodologies of the different artistic techniques considered and to apply the knowledge and ability to understand the role, processes of birth, growth and possible decline of the same, in their relationship with society and contexts, arriving at reading analogies and differences between different artistic expressions considered in their temporal succession and geographical fortune.

This knowledge is acquired through attending lessons, carrying out classroom exercises led by the teacher and through the study of exam texts, as well as through participation in seminars and, if possible, visits to exhibitions and museums.

3. Judgment skills: students must achieve critical judgment skills on the artistic techniques considered, in relation to works and artists, on the reasons for choosing some techniques rather than others, in relation to the experience of the creators, the tastes of clients, the public and the market in different eras.

These skills are acquired through classroom discussion 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 the Italian language, ability to express themselves and competence in the use of the specialized language of the discipline.

These skills are acquired by interacting in the classroom through questions, responses to the teacher's requests, exchanges with fellow students, making public presentations of exercises and group work, making a written report on the research work carried out within the scope of the course, seminars, final exam.

5. Learning ability: students will have to show understanding of the concepts and will have to provide examples based on the models learned; will have to recognize the different artistic techniques considered through the analysis of the works and activities of the artists, demonstrating that they are able to identify chronologies and geographical area, to activate historical-critical comparisons and evaluations, thus preparing for further studies. The student will have to acquire a mature historical-philological profile.

These skills are acquired through classroom discussion, comparison with classmates during lessons and exercises, the argumentation of the answers to the teacher's questions during lessons, the 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

Course books

P. Barocchi, Storiografia e collezionismo dal Vasari al Lanzi, in Storia dell’arte italiana, a cura di G. Previtali, parte prima, vol. II, Torino, Einaudi, 1979, pp. 6-27;

B. Agosti, Giorgio Vasari. Luoghi e tempi delle Vite, Milano, Officina Libraria, 2013

Assessment

Oral exam aimed at verifying the understanding of the topics covered during the lessons and of the textbooks indicated in the bibliography, as well as the ability to create relationships between the various subjects examined. The capacity of independent reasoning and a clear presentation of the contents will also be evaluated.

"Excellence" evaluations will be awarded in the face of: good critical and reasoning skills; ability to establish connections between the main topics addressed during the course; use of a language appropriate to the specificity of the discipline.

"Correct" evaluations will be attributed in the face of: mnemonic knowledge of the contents; some capacity for criticism and connection between the topics addressed during the course; use of an appropriate language.

"Satisfactory" evaluations will be awarded in the face of: a minimum knowledge about the issues addressed during the course, even in the presence of training gaps; misuse of language.

"Negative" evaluations will be attributed for: difficulties in orienting among the issues addressed during the course and in the texts; training gaps; misuse of 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.

Course books

P. Barocchi, Storiografia e collezionismo dal Vasari al Lanzi, in Storia dell’arte italiana, a cura di G. Previtali, parte prima, vol. II, Torino, Einaudi, 1979, pp. 6-27;

B. Agosti, Giorgio Vasari. Luoghi e tempi delle Vite, Milano, Officina Libraria, 2013

Assessment

Oral exam aimed at verifying the understanding of the topics covered during the lessons and of the textbooks indicated in the bibliography, as well as the ability to create relationships between the various subjects examined. The capacity of independent reasoning and a clear presentation of the contents will also be evaluated.

"Excellence" evaluations will be awarded in the face of: good critical and reasoning skills; ability to establish connections between the main topics addressed during the course; use of a language appropriate to the specificity of the discipline.

"Correct" evaluations will be attributed in the face of: mnemonic knowledge of the contents; some capacity for criticism and connection between the topics addressed during the course; use of an appropriate language.

"Satisfactory" evaluations will be awarded in the face of: a minimum knowledge about the issues addressed during the course, even in the presence of training gaps; misuse of language.

"Negative" evaluations will be attributed for: difficulties in orienting among the issues addressed during the course and in the texts; training gaps; misuse of 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.