The course aims to provide students with a basic knowledge of the history of art in Italy, Europe and the Mediterranean between the 4th and 14th centuries, that is, from the early Christian period to the threshold of the modern age, through the analysis of some specific case studies. Issues related to periodization, historiography and methodology will be addressed, and movements, artists, monumental complexes and works of art will be examined and contextualized.

Course aims:

1.     To become familiar with the medieval period and medieval art so as to readily recognize, describe and contextualize monuments and works of art;

2.     To understand major works of art beyond style, iconography, technique and conservation;

3.     To be able to critically compare and contrast 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 (18 two-hour classes):

FIRST PART

CLASSES 1-2

Art and Architecture from the IV century

Rome in the IV and V centuries

CLASSES 3-4

Ravenna in the V and VI centuries

Lombard Art

CLASS 5

Carolingian and Ottonian Art

Castelseprio frescoes

CLASS 6

The Romanesque Art: an overview

CLASSES 7-8

Romanesque Art in Emilia Romagna and Lombardy 

Romanesque Art in Tuscany

CLASSE 9-10

Romanesque Art in Rome

Romanesque Art in the South of Italy

Parma and Benedetto Antelami

SECOND PART

CLASSES 11-12

Cistercian gothic Art

Gotich Architecture

CLASS 13-14

Siena Cathedral

Nicola and Giovanni Pisano

Arnolfo di Cambio

CLASSES 15-16

Giotto

CLASSES 17-18

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

Two self-assessment in itinere tests will be held during the course, reserved for the attending students, who will be able to personally verify, based on the feedback provided by the professor, their preparation and the effectiveness of their method of studying, in relation to the program carried out so far.

Teaching

In-class lessons.

Innovative teaching methods

Attendance

Attendance is not mandatory but strongly recommended for the purpose of better learning the discipline. 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 uploaded on the Moodle platform for easy consultation, the study of the following text is requried: 

- Elena Tornaghi, Chiave di volta.2. Dal Tardo antico al Gotico internazionale, Torino Loescher 2018.

Assessment

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

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Students who have registered disability certification or DSA certification with the Office of Inclusion and Right to Study, may request to use concept maps (by keywords) during the exam. 

For this purpose, it is necessary to send the maps two weeks before the exam call, to the course instructor(s), who will check their consistency with the University guidelines and may request their modification.

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.

NON-attending students are NOT required to study the materials uploaded to the Moodle platform, which are mandatory for attending students.

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.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Students who have registered disability certification or DSA certification with the Office of Inclusion and Right to Study, may request to use concept maps (by keywords) during the exam. 

For this purpose, it is necessary to send the maps two weeks before the exam call, to the course instructor(s), who will check their consistency with the University guidelines and may request their modification.

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.