What is the Italian ‘Renaissance’ and when does it become ‘Baroque’? What is so great about this early modern period of Italian cultural history; and why have its words and images left such an indelible mark on our globalised world? What can we learn about modernity when we study its origins; what can we learn about Italy through close encounters with its fascinating past?
These are some of the questions driving this module which takes us back in time to one of the most recognizable and celebrated periods of Italian history (from about 1420 – 1720). We explore the keywords ‘Renaissance’ and ‘Baroque’, but also ‘Classicism’ and ‘Mannerism’ variously used to describe this era. In doing so, we will be looking at the interplay between word and image in a carefully chosen repertoire of literary and artistic artifacts, questioning how they define early modernity and – at the same time – mark the emergence of modernity in Italy and beyond.
Core content will include the work of some of the most recognizable protagonists of the Renaissance and Baroque, but it will also include lesser-known writings and art – by women, for example, and writers from the lower classes – whose exclusion from the western canon we question and seek to correct. Images may include works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Lavinia Fontana and Ginevra Cantofoli alongside those of Sandro Botticelli, Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Titian, Andrea Palladio, Guido Reni, Annibale Carracci, Caravaggio. Words may include recently established landmarks of Italian literature by Vittoria Colonna, Tullia d’Aragona and Moderata Fonte alongside writings by Leon Battista Alberti, Lorenzo de’ Medici, Niccolò Machiavelli, Baldassare Castiglione, Giorgio Vasari, Ludovico Ariosto and Torquato Tasso.
Coordinator: Professor Stefano Cracolici
Further details of pre-requisites, co-requisites, aims, contact hours and assessment.