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CAS AH 354: Venetian Renaissance Art and Architecture

Boston University Study Abroad Padua Summer 2012

Instructor: Dr. Krystina Stermole This course explores the development of the visual culture of Venice and its former Republic from the thirteenth century through to the end of the sixteenth century. Given that we are lucky enough to be studying Venetian art near Venice, the course is comprised not only of in-class slide lectures, but also of on-site visits. As a result, about half of our class time takes us to different locations—churches, public squares, civic monuments—and is designed emphasize the importance of seeing and understanding works of art in the historical and physical contexts for which they were originally created. Many of our on-site visits will take place in Padova, but we will also visit Venice itself five times. TEXTBOOK AND READINGS John T. Paoletti and Gary M. Radke, Art in Renaissance Italy (London, 2001)

In addition to this book, which is available for you to consult in the Center, other readings for the course have been included on your course CD. Each reading is listed on your syllabus on the day when its content is particularly relevant. EVALUATION Attendance and Participation: 10% Two on-site worksheets: 20% (10% each) Midterm exam: 25% On-site presentation in Venice: 20% Take-home exam: 25% ON-SITE WORKSHEETS

There will be two on-site worksheets for this course. They are designed to help you use your eyes to describe and analyze what you see when looking at works of art in situ. They will each require you to go and see something on-site outside of class time and you will be asked to make sense of it by drawing on what you have learned in class, particularly through comparisons and contrasts with works we have discussed together. The worksheets are designed to be completed while viewing the works on-site and therefore do not require any secondary research. Students will handwrite their answers to the questions directly on the worksheets. MIDTERM EXAM

The midterm exam will be a slide test that will involve the visual identification (artist, title, date and location) and discussion of selected works studied in class as well as the description and analysis of some works you have never seen before.

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FINAL PRESENTATION

This takes place during exam week and involves a field trip to Venice. Each student will discuss a work—either painting, sculpture, or architecture—in front of the class. The presentation will last 10 minutes and will involve historically contextualizing, visually describing, and analyzing the work, particularly by making comparisons with other works studied in class. TAKE-HOME EXAM

This will involve writing two essay-type answers in response to questions that draw on themes addressed during the course. Students will compose their essays by drawing on the notes taken during class and the course readings. The exam is cumulative in nature, and covers all of the material covered during the course. The take-home exam will be assigned on Friday, July 20, and will be due on Wednesday, July 25, at 9AM. They are to be e-mailed to me at <stermole@bu.edu> in PDF form, not as a Microsoft Word file. SOME PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Since class takes place both in the classroom and out, note-taking materials should be easy to make use of in unconventional conditions (i.e., standing, sometimes in places like the middle of an outdoor square or inside a church). Notes taken during class are of fundamental importance to this course, as students are evaluated on the worksheets, midterm, and final exam will be based primarily upon their command of the information communicated and discussed in class lectures. As lovely as Padova and Venice can be in June and July, it is probably going to get very hot. As a result, please bring water for when we are doing on-site visits, and please make sure to dress appropriately. Be sure to have sunscreen and perhaps a hat, and, on the occasions when we visit a church, you MUST dress modestly: hats must be removed and your shoulders, chest, and knees must be respectfully covered. ATTENDANCE

Boston University Padova students are expected to attend each and every class

session, tutorial, and field trips required for the class. Students should note that attendance will be taken into account by faculty when determining final grades. Students absent from class for medical reasons need to provide a local doctor’s note.

PLAGIARISM

Simply stated, plagiarism is taking another’s work and presenting it as you own. Dictionary definitions of plagiarism frequently include terms such as ‘theft’ or ‘steal’. Plagiarism is, in fact, intellectual theft. It is one of the most serious forms of academic misconduct. Plagiarism committed by a student will certainly result in course failure and may result in suspension or dismissal. For more details please see Boston University’s Code of Student Responsibilities: http://www.bu.edu/lifebook/university-policies/policies-code.html

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

Boston University’s Office of the University Registrar states:

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‘The University, in scheduling classes on religious holidays and observances, intends that students observing those traditions be given ample opportunity to make up work. Faculty members who wish to observe religious holidays will arrange for another faculty member to meet their classes or for cancelled classes to be rescheduled.’ See Chapter 151C of the General Laws, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

CONTACT INFO

If you need to contact me outside of class hours, you may e-mail me: stermole@bu.edu. I warn you, however, that I am not always on top of my e-mail correspondence and it may take a couple of days for me to respond. In other, more desperate circumstances (e.g., you somehow get lost on a field trip), please call my cell phone: 3409131013.

SCHEDULE

Week I Mon., June 18:

Introduction to the course Overview of the Histories and Identities of Venice and Padua Site visit: Church of St. Anthony (Sant’Antonio, or “Il Santo”) Readings: Fortini Brown, pp. 9–29, 80–83; excerpt (introduction and chapter 1) from David Rosand, Myths of Venice: The Figuration of a State (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001), pp. 1–46.

Tues., June 19:

Venice’s Byzantine Roots: The Churches of the Island of Torcello and the Church of St. Mark Site visit: Church of Santa Sofia Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 47–50; excerpt from Otto Demus, The Church of San Marco in Venice: History, Architecture, Sculpture (Washington: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1960), pp. 1–17.

Wed., June 20: Western Influences: The Gothic Style

Site visit: Giotto at the Scrovegni Chapel Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 79–83 (about Giotto and the Scrovegni Chapel); Chapter 1 of John Steer, Venetian Painting (London: Thames and Hudson, 1970), pp. 15–33.

Thurs., June 21:

FIELD TRIP TO VENICE Visit to St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) NB: Your train to Venice’s Santa Lucia Station (Regionale no. 2234) leaves Padova at 15:30. I will meet you at the Venice train station at 16:03. Be sure to validate your ticket before boarding. Your train home leaves Venice at 18:34 and arrives in Padova at 19:18.

*Worksheet #1 given [Due: Thursday, June 28]

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Week II Mon., June 25:

Early Renaissance Painting and the Altarpiece: The Generations of Jacopo and Giovanni Bellini Site visit: Mantegna at the Eremitani Readings: Fortini Brown, pp. 52–58; Paoletti and Radke, pp. 293–298 (“Mantegna”), 300–304 (“Painting”); part of Chapter 2 of John Steer, Venetian Painting (London: Thames and Hudson, 1970), pp. 50–63; Chapter 7 (“From Early to High Renaissance”) of Peter Humfrey, The Altarpiece in Renaissance Venice (New Haven: Yale UP, 1993), pp. 231–59.

Tues., June 26: Early Renaissance Sculpture and Architecture: Pietro Lombardo and his family

Site visit: Donatello and the Lombardo family at the Church of Saint Anthony Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 306–307; Martha Dunkelman, “Donatello’s Influence on Mantegna’s Early Narrative Scenes,” Art Bulletin 62, no. 2 (June 1980), pp. 227–35.

Wed., June 27:

Narrative Painting and Confraternities: Gentile Bellini and Vittore Carpaccio Site visit: Confraternity (Scoletta) at the Chiesa del Carmine Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 304–307; part of Chapter 2 of John Steer, Venetian Painting (London: Thames and Hudson, 1970), pp. 63–71; Patricia Fortini Brown, “Honor and Necessity: The Dynamics of Patronage in the Confraternities of Renaissance Venice,” Studi veneziani n. s. 14 (1987), pp. 179–212.

Thurs., June 28:

FIELD TRIP TO VENICE The Church of Sts. John and Paul (SS. Giovanni e Paolo), and the Church of St. Zaccariah (S. Zaccaria) NB: Your train to Venice’s Santa Lucia Station (Regionale no. 2234) leaves Padova at 15:30PM. Be sure to validate your ticket before boarding! I will meet you at the Venice train station at 16:03PM. Your train back to Padova leaves Venice at 18:34PM and arrives in Padova at 19:18PM.

*Worksheet #1 due

Week III Mon., July 2:

Venetian Architecture of the Early Renaissance, cont’d: Mauro Codussi In-class workshop Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 291–293 (“Sant’Andrea” by Leon Battista Alberti), 298–300; Ralph Lieberman, “Venetian Church Architecture around 1500,” Bollettino del centro internazionale di studi di architettura “Andrea Palladio” 19 (1977), pp 35–48; Chapter 5 of Deborah Howard, The Architectural History of Venice (London: B. T. Batsford, 1980), pp. 102–127.

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Tues., July 3:

Giorgione, Sebastiano del Piombo, and the young Titian Site visit: Titian at the Scoletta di Sant’Antonio Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 383–389; Chapter 3 of John Steer, Venetian Painting (London: Thames and Hudson, 1970), pp. 73–98; Charles Hope, “The Historians of Venetian Painting,” in The Genius of Venice: 1500–1600, eds. Jane Martineau and Charles Hope (London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1983), pp. 38–43.

Wed., July 4:

*Midterm Slide Test *Worksheet #2 assigned [Due: Monday, July 16]

Thurs., July 5:

FIELD TRIP TO VENICE Visit to the church of S. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. NB: Your train to Venice’s Santa Lucia Station (Regionale no. 2234) leaves Padova at 15:30PM. I will meet you at the Venice train station at 16:03PM. Your train home leaves Venice at 18:34PM and arrives in Padova at 19:18PM.

Week IV Mon., July 9:

Venice as the New Rome: Jacopo Sansovino Site visit: The Cortile antico of the Bo’ and the Chapel of the Arca del Santo Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 410–12; introduction to Deborah Howard, Jacopo Sansovino: Architecture and Patronage in Renaissance Venice (New Haven: Yale UP, 1975), pp. 1–7.

Tues., July 10: The Mature Titian Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 419–425; Charles Hope, “Titian as a Court Painter,” Oxford Art Journal 2 (April 1979), pp. 7–10; Chapter 3 from Una Roman D’Elia, The Poetics of Titian’s Religious Paintings (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2005); John Steer, “Titian and Venetian Colour,” in The Genius of Venice: 1500–1600, eds. Jane Martineau and Charles Hope (London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1983), pp. 41–43. *Worksheet #2 due and *Final Presentation topics assigned

Wed., July 11: Spirituality and Dynamism: Jacopo Tintoretto Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 426–429; Chapter 5 (“Action and Piety in Tintoretto’s Religious Pictures”) of David Rosand, Painting in Cinquecento Venice: Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto (New Haven: Yale UP, 1982), pp. 182–218.

Thurs., July 12:

NO CLASS.

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Week V Mon., July 16:

Opulence and Splendor: Paolo Veronese Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 428–429, 453–455; Fortini Brown, pp. 64–71; David Rosand, “Theater and Structure in the Art of Paolo Veronese,” Art Bulletin 55, no. 2 (June 1973), pp. 217–39. *One-on-one meetings to discuss final presentations

Tues., July 17:

The Civic Buildings, Villas and Churches of Andrea Palladio Readings: Paoletti and Radke, pp. 413–418; excerpt from Chapter 6 from Deborah Howard, The Architectural History of Venice (London: B. T. Batsford, 1980), pp. 160–173.

Wed., July 18:

Exam review Thurs., July 19:

NO CLASS

Fri., July 20: FULL-MORNING FIELD TRIP TO VENICE, 9:00–13:00 Visit to the Church of S. Giorgio Maggiore and the Confraternity of St. Roch NB: Your train to Venice’s Santa Lucia Station (no. 5487) leaves Padova at 8:15. I will meet you at the Venice train station at the end of the platform at 8:51. Your train home leaves at 1:39 and arrives in Padova at 2:27.

*Take-home exam given [Due: Wednesday, July 25]

Week VI Tuesday, July 24:

FULL-MORNING FIELD TRIP TO VENICE, 9:00–13:00 *Final presentations N.B.: Your train to Venice’s Santa Lucia Station (no. 5617) leaves Padova at 8:31. I will meet you at the Venice train station at 9:04 at the end of the platform. Your train home leaves at 13:04 and arrives in Padova at 13:47.

Wednesday, July 25

*Take-home exam (saved in PDF format) due via email by 9AM; please send to <stermole@bu.edu>.