FLORENCE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS APICIUS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY

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1 3 semester credits (45 lecture hours + 15 hours field trips and visits) Class ings: Mondays to Fridays Classroom: Instructor: Instructor Availability: by appointment after class Contact: 1. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course explores the principal architects and artists, monuments and themes from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Italian art and architecture. Class time is divided equally between slide lectures and on-site visits in the city of Florence. Emphasis will be on Renaissance architecture in Florence, but will also include architectural developments in other Italian towns. Special topics will include: architectural theory, Medici and papal patronage, urban planning, and church and palace design. Attention will be given to architects such as Brunelleschi, Alberti, Michelozzo, Michelangelo and Leonardo. In addition to the visits to key Renaissance buildings and urban spaces in Florence. 2. OBJECTIVE By the end of the course, the students will: 1 have gained a broad historical knowledge of Florence and Italy from the late 14th until the mid 16th c. as well as specific pieces of art that exemplify the primary artistic and architectural styles of the Renaissance 2 have gained an understanding of the developments in the visual arts of Italy, especially of Florence. 3 be familiar with different techniques, practical problems in executing pieces of art and major achievements of Florentine Renaissance architecture 4 be able to describe and discuss works of art particularly related to the artists explored in this course 5 have developed visual skills to allow them to recognize different styles and periods 6 be familiar with the language of art, including specific artistic terminology, iconography and symbolism related to the subject matter of this course 3. REQUIREMENTS Prerequisites: Survey of Western Art or its equivalent. s are held in English. A questionnaire is distributed on the first day of class to inform the instructor about the general background and characteristics of the students. Students are not required to answer all questions.

2 Students must be aware that many lessons will consist of outdoor walking tours and museum visits. Because of the antiquity of many of the buildings visited lifts are a rare commodity. This course is therefore only suitable for those who have a fair degree of physical mobility. Individual study of the notes, the readings, the handouts etc. at home is required after every lecture, at least on a weekly basis. On your lecture schedule you will find information on each meeting s readings: a good pre-reading activity of the material is highly recommended to follow better in-class explanations. Students will be asked to research, read and study quite often at the School Library. Please make sure you are familiar with it (know how it works, opening and closing times, facilities, etc.) from the very start of the course. For the material you will need to type, please check the school computer facilities. Students will be provided with terms and words used commonly in the art history language; handouts distributed at the beginning of the course will help students with spelling and terminology: No eating is allowed in class A responsible and active class participation is expected at all times and activities At all times cell phones must be turned off (both during lectures and visits). Please consider strict guidelines regarding attendance and behaviour during scheduled visits/field trip (as described in pertinent paragraphs). Please also consider important notes on attendance, participation and assignments (as described in pertinent paragraphs). 4. TEACHING METHOD The teaching is divided between lectures with slides and on-site teaching (for lectures and visits see the programme at the end of this prospectus). Guided visits to churches, palaces, museums and galleries are as important as lectures taught in class. The teaching is object based and students are required to participate in the description and analysis of artworks in class and on site. Considerable space will be given to the comparison between artists styles and the political, historical, and artistic context in which they operated. 5. TEXT BOOK AND ACADEMIC RESOURCES COURSE TEXT BOOKS Handouts will be distributed daily and must be completed for the next class meeting. INTERNET RESOURCES:

3 Students are strongly discouraged from using internet sources other than electronic journals that can be accessed from JSTOR. Websites of museums and churches can be a good introduction to a building or artwork but should never be used without checking them against serious scholarly information. LIBRARIES IN FLORENCE : Apicius: The Apicius library is located on the 1st floor of the annex at GANZO in via dei Macci 85r. Florence University of the Arts: The FUA library is located on the first floor of Via Magliabechi 1. Please consult the posted course schedules for official opening times. Please note that both libraries are consultation only and thus it is not possible to remove texts. It is possible to make photocopies (fee-based). Students are encouraged to take advantage of Florence s libraries and research centers: Biblioteca Palagio di Parte Guelfa Located in Piazzetta di Parte Guelfa between Pza della Repubblica and Ponte Vecchio. Telephone: The library is open Monday thru Saturday. This library is open until 10:00pm during weekdays. Biblioteca delle Oblate Located in via dell'oriuolo 26 (across the street from SQUOLA Center for Contemporary Italian Studies) Telephone: Please consult the website for current opening times under orario. The Harold Acton Library at the British Institute of Florence Address: Lungarno Guicciardini 9. For opening times and student membership information: is a fee-based membership library. 6. COURSE SITE VISITS AND FIELDTRIPS Make sure you know the exact meeting point each week and how to get there; be aware that there might be changes in the visit schedule. Please dress decently at all times. If we are visiting a church remember to dress appropriately (no shorts, no sleeveless tops/dresses for women, men should uncover their heads when entering a church). Dress comfortably, especially with regard to footwear - there is a lot of walking and standing for long periods.

4 Do not burden yourselves with heavy bags - there is not always a place to check them in. No food or drink (not even a small water bottle) is allowed inside museums and churches. Under no circumstances attempt to eat or drink inside a church or museum. You will be given sufficient breaks to eat and drink. Please do not be late at the meeting point, as the class cannot wait for you to start a visit. This is especially so when we have timed reservations for State Museums. If you miss a visit you must go independently and as soon as possible to the museum in question with the appropriate explanatory handout. Also please inform yourselves of any instructions for the following week. A late show will be treated as an absence; this applies to both lectures and guided visits. MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS HAVE YOUR MAP AND KNOW WHERE TO GO. 7. COURSE MATERIALS N/A 8. ADDITIONAL FEES N/A 9. EVALUATION AND GRADING SYSTEM Attendance/Participation: 10% Midterm Exam: 20 % Looking Assignments (2): 40% Final Exam: 30 % Grading Scale A = % A - = 92 90% B+ = 89 87% B = 86 83% B- = 82 80% C+ = 79 77% C = 76 73% C- = 72 70% D = 69 60% F = 59 0% 10. ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION Institutional Attendance Policy: Academic integrity and mutual respect between instructor and student are central to a positive and productive learning experience. This belief is reflected in the attendance policy. Attendance will be taken at the start of every class. Attendance is mandatory for all class meetings. Absence from class will negatively impact the final grade. One to Two Absences: Will result in lowering of the Participation and Final Grade as per the grading system.

5 Three Absences: Will result in the final grade being lowered one full letter grade. (Example 90% / A will become 80% / B -) Four Absences: Will result in an automatic failure. It is the student's responsibility to know how many absences they have in a course. If you are in doubt, talk to your instructor! Late Arrival and Early Departure Arriving late or departing early from class is not acceptable. Two late arrivals or early departures or a combination will result in an unexcused absence. Travel is not an exceptional circumstance. Travel (or delays due to travel) is NEVER an excuse for absence from class. 11. ASSIGNMENTS, TERM PAPERS AND EXAMS Study Requirements and Testing Format of the Midterm and Final Exams: Do all the assigned readings in your reader. If you ve missed any classes or site visits, get notes and handouts from a classmate. Review your notes, paying special attention to major historical events, stylistic trends, and important terms. Make flashcards. This works very well for many students. Print out images of the works of art, write the ID information on back of each, then practice identifying the images. Give yourself plenty of time to study. Memorize the images listed below. All the images in the reader or that were discussed in class or on site are fair game for slide identifications. You will need to know the following information for each work: -artist -title or subject -date (+/- 5 years) -medium -location - original or present location. You must provide the specific museum, church, palace, etc and the city. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS: the most important or significant points about a work of art and the artist that produced it. Salient characteristics must be distinct from one another. If two or more of your points say basically the same thing, they will not count as separate characteristics. For example, if you write shows depth, uses perspective, and figures get smaller as they go back in space, you will get credit for only one characteristic because all three mean the same thing.

6 DEFINITIONS: terms we discussed in class or site visits Instructions exactly as they will appear on the exam: PART I: Short Slide Identifications (5 slides for 1 min. each) For each image provide the following information: (1) artist, (2) title (3) date (+/- 5 years), (4) medium, (5) location (original or present) PART II: Slide Identifications and Salient Characteristics (5 slides for 5 min. each) For each image provide the following information:(1)artist, (2) title (3) date (+/- 5 years), (4) medium, (5) location (original / present);then, list at least four distinct salient characteristics of the work of art (referring to patronage, iconography, context, function, elements of style and/or condition.(comparison to another work of art may help your answer.) PART III: Multiple choice questions questions (There is only one correct answer for each question) PART IV: Definitions 8-10 questions Fill in the blank with the appropriate term PART V: Unknown Work: I will show you a work you haven t seen in class or on site and ask you to describe it, compare it to something we have seen, and based on your comparison make an educated guess about the artist and the time period. 12. LESSON PLAN Class 1. Visit: Santa Croce Introduction to Course (Content/Structure/Expectations) / Introduction to Artistic Materials & Techniques of the Renaissance Class 2. Visit: Bargello / Orsanmichele The Baptistery Doors Competition and the Revival of Bronze

7 Class 3. Visit: San Marco / SS. Annunziata / Palazzo Medici Patrician Families and Artistic Patronage Class 4. Visit: Capella Brancacci The Development of Linear Perspective Class 5 Field Trip. Visit: Piazza del Duomo: Urban Development In the Shadow of the Dome AFTERNOON VISIT: Galleria degli Uffizi Class 6. Visit: Galleria degli Uffizi Class 7 MIDTERM EXAM Class 8

8 Class 9 The Rediscovery of Vitruvius and the Birth of the Modern Architect: De Architectura Class 10 The Renaissance Man Defined Class 11. Visit: Accademia / New Sacristy The Age of Heroes Class 12 Field Trip Courtly Art in the XVIth Century Visit: Galleria Palatina Class 13

9 Visit: Galleria Palatina Class 14 FINAL EXAM ALTERNATIVE LESSON In the event that I am unable to hold, you are required to view, as a group, the 5 th and 6 th episodes of Sir Kenneth Clark s landmark series CIVILISATION, available on DVD in the Library, or viewable directly on youtube.com starting here: