Early Modern European Art 1400–1500 (330-1-1)

Topic

Renaissance Worlds

Instructors

Rebecca Zorach

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-410: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

Most people, if they've heard of one premodern artist, have heard of Leonardo da Vinci, who lived in Italy and France from 1452 to 1519. But what can we say about Leonardo's broader social and artistic worlds? This class studies those worlds, examining European art from the late 14th to the early 16th century, with an emphasis on Italy and with reference to its global context. The course seeks to help you develop answers to the question "what was the Renaissance?"—or maybe, in light of newer ideas about the period, "was there a Renaissance?" It will help you look at Renaissance art, understand how it was made and interpret what it means. We study the proliferation of types of religious and secular subject matter, emerging interests in nature and the human body, ideas about history, gender, and violence, changes in commerce and colonization, and artistic media, techniques, and materials. Class will be taught with a combination of lectures (including online lectures), class discussion, and museum visits.

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area