MODERN ART

Modern Art (EM3E17-1) is the first module of a 12-credit course in Modern and Contemporary Art proposed as one of the core educational activities of the Master's Degree Programme in Economics and Management of Arts and Cultural Activities. The course intends to provide a solid preparation on the relationship between art and society in the modern period, with particular attention to the Italian Renaissance. A specific aspect illustrated with a series of examples and models will enable the student to acquire specific analytical tools and develop transversal critical skills useful for an in-depth reflection on project strategies, on the indispensable connections to be established between historical-artistic heritage and economy, also in order to better face current challenges concerning our cultural heritage.

- Demonstrate knowledge and ability to understand the topics developed during the lectures, namely to know the major protagonists, artists, patrons and collectors, especially of the Italian Renaissance period, as well as to understand the role of portraiture and its social, anthropological and theoretical implications;
- To be able to apply the acquired knowledge and understanding in a different context and in a new situation, and to problematise using the tools of analysis acquired during the lessons;
- To acquire a learning ability and an autonomy of judgement such as to be able to develop in a coherent and original way a personal reflection on the question of the portrait, also extended to an interdisciplinary context;
- To be able to communicate clearly, using the appropriate terminology relating to the work of art and its context, to relate to teachers and peers through constructive dialogue and a collaborative attitude, as well as to demonstrate ability in the exposition of complex reasoning relating to the themes dealt with in the lessons.

A sufficient knowledge of the historical-artistic evolution in the Italian context, with particular attention to the Renaissance period.

The topic of this course is the portraiture, in many of its aspects, but above all as a privileged tool for constructing the image of an individual. A conspicuous part will focus on the act of self-portraiture, once a prerogative of the artist, but now popularised, facilitated by the new tools for producing and disseminating pictures. Reviewing some of the essays that have made their mark on art history studies, also in their methodological approach, the mechanisms of mythicalisation, the evolution of the social status and image of the artist will be discussed. The examples dealt with during the lectures, mainly from the Renaissance period, will serve to feed a transversal reflection on the relationship between the artist and his public, between the artworks and their context, with insights also on the conservation of artistic heritage. In this way, we will examine the various means of expression that contribute to shaping the image of the self, possibly to be left to posterity, taking into account the most topical issues on the question of identity and alterity.

Besides the personal lecture notes, the following texts should be studied to prepare for the exam:
- Rudolf and Margot WITTKOWER, Nati sotto Saturno: la figura dell’artista dall’Antichità alla Rivoluzione francese (ed. or. London, 1963), Torino: Einaudi, 1968.
- Joanna WOODS-MARSDEN, Renaissance self-portraiture: the visual construction of identity and the social status of the artist, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
- Édouard Pommier, Il ritratto: storia e teorie dal Rinascimento all’Età dei lumi, (ed. or. Paris, Gallimard, 1998), Torino, Einaudi, 2003
- Hans Belting, Facce una storia del volto, (ed. or. München, 2013), Roma, Carocci, 2014.
Further bibliographical references and reading suggestions will be provided during the lectures.

The examination consists of a written test with open questions. In the overall evaluation, participation during the lessons and the oral presentation during the seminar part will be taken into account (20%).

In addition to the lectures, there will be seminar sessions in which students, in groups or individually, will present a short paper on a topic agreed with the lecturer at the beginning of the course. Possible external visits and interventions will be proposed.

Italian

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development