This intermediate module will explore the principal developments in painting and sculpture in Venice from c.1470 until c.1580 in their geographical and historical contexts. In order to understand the special characteristics of Venetian art this course will examine the extraordinary topographical, social, economic and political conditions that influenced artistic production in the city. Study of individual artists such as Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione and Titian will be linked to major themes such as the cityscape, the function of the altarpiece, contemporary attitudes to sexuality and the development of the nude, the notion of decorum and its influence on art, the role of ritual and ceremony in the city. The disegno-colore debate will be the focus for discussion of art theory in sixteenth-century Venice, which sought self-definition in contradistinction to Rome and Florence.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should have acquired:
A familiarity with the works of art.
A knowledge of the topographical, climactic, socio-economic and cultural conditions that influenced the production of art in Venice.
The ability to analyse the works of art in terms of contemporary theoretical, art-historical and religious debates.
Assessment
Task
Length
% of module mark
Group
Oral presentation/seminar/exam Oral Seminar
N/A
10
A
University - closed examination Art in Venice from Bellini to Titian
2 hours
90
A
Essay/coursework 3,000 word Assessed Essay
N/A
90
B
Oral presentation/seminar/exam Seminar oral performance: presentations and discussion
N/A
10
B
Special assessment rules
None
Reassessment
Task
Length
% of module mark
Group
University - closed examination Art in Venice from Bellini to Titian
2 hours
90
A
Essay/coursework 3,000 word Assessed Essay
N/A
90
B
Module feedback
Feedback on formative essay within one week.
Feedback on summative exams within six weeks.
Indicative reading
Cultural and Historical Studies
*** Brown, Patricia Fortini, The Renaissance in Venice, Everyman Art Library, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1997 (Paperback ,8.99)
Hale, John, ed., Renaissance Venice, London 1973
Chambers, David S., The Imperial Age of Venice 1380-1580, Thames and Hudson, London 1970
Finlay, Robert, Politics in Renaissance Venice, New Brunswick 1980
Lane, Frederic, Venice: A Maritime Republic, Baltimore and London 1973
Logan, Olive, Culture and Society in Venice 1470-1790, London 1972
Muir, Edward, Civic Ritual in Renaissance Venice, Princeton 1981
Pullan, Brian, Rich and Poor in Renaissance Venice, Oxford 1971
Art
*** Brown, Patricia Fortini, Venetian Narrative Painting in the Age of Carpaccio, Yale University Press, New Haven and London 1988
Goffen, Rona, Giovanni Bellini, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1986
Hope, Charles, Titian, London 1980
Hills, Paul, Venetian Colour, Yale University Press, New Haven and London 1999 [an inspiring approach and v. recent]
Humfrey, Peter, Painting in Renaissance Venice, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1995 ( Paperback ,12) [ NOT highly recommended but affordable]
Humfrey, Peter, The Altarpiece in Renaissance Venice, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1993
*** Huse, Norbert and Wolters, Wolfang, The Art of Renaissance Venice: Architecture, Sculpture and Painting 1460-1590, Chicago University Press, Chicago 1990
Martineau, Jane and Hope, Charles, eds., The Genius of Venice, 1500-1600, London 1983
Wilde, Johannes, Venetian Art from Bellini to Titian, Oxford 1974