Art History

CATERINA VOLPI

The Course aims to offer students tools for historical-critical analysis of art from the 15th to the beginning of the 19th century - through a theme-based and chronological cut, which allows students to orient themselves in the sources and in the bibliography, in order to develop - in time - ability to read, interpret, link works and historical-artistic events.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
-understand the relationship between art, scholarship, and intellectual culture in Early Modern Europe;
-critically analyse the role of the Republic of Letters in the development of European artistic culture;
-identify the principal figures, intellectual networks, and artistic contexts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries;
-interpret the relationship between the visual arts, politics, diplomacy, and patronage in the major European courts;
-apply the methods and tools of art historical research to the analysis of artworks and primary sources.

General knowledge of modern art in Italy and the European context.

From Pirro Ligorio to Peter Paul Rubens: The Republic of Painting between Art, Philosophy, and Knowledge in the Early Modern Period

The course examines the relationship between scholarship, intellectual culture, and artistic production through the emergence of the Republic of Letters, a foundational moment in the development of a shared European artistic and cultural identity. It explores the leading figures in archaeology and the visual arts, including Paolo Giovio (1483–1552), Pirro Ligorio (1512/1513–1583), Antonis Mor (c. 1519/1520–1575/1578), Stephanus Pighius (1520–1604), Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598), Fulvio Orsini (1529–1600), Justus Lipsius (1547–1606), Otto van Veen (c. 1556–1629), Matthäus Greuter (c. 1556–1638), Francesco Villamena (1564–1624), Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568–1625), Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), Adam Elsheimer (1578–1610), Giovan Battista Ferrari (1584–1655), Cassiano dal Pozzo (1588–1657), Vincenzo Leonardi (c. 1590–after 1646), Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665), Pietro da Cortona (1596–1669), the Accademia dei Lincei (founded in 1603), and Pietro Testa (1612–1650).
Alongside the development of the Republic of Letters, Europe witnessed the emergence of a network of art diplomacy, fostered by the Barberini pontificate and the rise of the absolutist states. Particular attention will be devoted to the relationship between political strategy, propaganda, and artistic culture, focusing on the courts of Charles I of England, Louis XIV of France, Philip IV of Spain, and Papal Rome. Within this context, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Diego Velázquez will be examined as artists who also acted as diplomatic agents, cultural intermediaries, and artistic advisers.

Lectures / Frontal teaching, educational visits with in-depth focus on course topics

The course will commence on October 1 and will be held in person according to the following schedule:
- Tuesdays, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., in the Paleography Classroom
- Thursdays, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., in the Paleography Classroom

The oral exam will consist of identification tasks and questions regarding the course content.

The oral exam will consist of identification tasks and questions regarding the course content.