History of Medieval Art I [Sede VR] (2020/2021)

Learning outcomes

The purpose of this course is to discuss and analyze a critical theme relevant to the history of medieval art in order to consolidate the methodological bases and knowledge of the historical/critical presuppositions, with special emphasis on the works themselves in their spatial, historic and cultural context. The syllabus, as well as the skills and expertise that will be gained in this course, are characteristic features of the studies involved in the interuniversity Art degree program.

Arts in Dante / Dante in art

In relation with the forthcoming anniversary in 2021 and its relevance for Verona, the Dantesque city par excellence, the course of Medieval Art History 2020/2021 will address Dante Alighieri’s figure and work on a double level. On one side, the course will focus on the art environment in which the poet has acted, recalling the artists he has mentioned, the works, the sites or the iconographic themes he has evoked in his poem. On the other side, the course will deal with some aspects of the huge success of Dante and his Commedia in the visual arts. For instance, Dante’s iconography (i.e. his portraits) and certain illustrations for the Commedia during the medieval period will be the object of analysis, with particular attention to the illuminated manuscripts from Northern Italy and the subsequent “visual emergence of suggestions and topics from Dante” (Donato 2009, p. 10).
Visits to the sites in Verona that are linked to Dante and a seminar will be planned, so far as is compatible with the Covid-pandemic.

Some reference texts are indicated below, but a more detailed list will be given at the beginning of the lessons:
Dante e le arti visive, Milano 2006
M.M. Donato, Il primo ritratto documentato di Dante e il problema dell'iconografia trecentesca. Conferme, novità e anticipazioni dopo due restauri, in Dante e la 'fabbrica' della Commedia, atti del convegno internazionale di studi (Ravenna, 14-16 settembre 2006), a cura di A. Cottignoli, S. Domini, D. Gruppioni, Ravenna 2008, pp. 355-380
C. Ponchia, Frammenti dell'Aldilà. Miniature trecentesche della Divina Commedia, Padova 2015
L. Battaglia Ricci, Dante per immagini. Dalle miniature trecentesche ai giorni nostri, Torino 2018

EXAMINATION PROCEDURE

The examination is oral and will be based on the texts indicated at the beginning of the course and, for those attending the lessons, also on the lesson notes. Constant references to images will be made during the exam.
The oral examination aims at verifying the following:
- depth and range of the knowledge acquired and the capacity to expound this clearly
- level of analytic and systematic reasoning
- ability to connect areas of knowledge in a systematic fashion
- level of independent judgement.