Tradition has long held that Italian art emerged out of the “Dark Ages” in the 13th century, into a magnificent cultural flowering that was later styled a Renaissance or rebirth. From Giotto’s innovations to sumptuous mosaics and the advent of the Gothic style, some of Italy’s major artistic achievements took place in this vital period, but they are often overshadowed by our interest in the Renaissance art that we believe eclipsed them.
Beginning with the work of Giotto, often considered the apotheosis of medieval Italian art, we put 14th-century central Italy into perspective. In Assisi and Padua, we consider Giotto’s proportions, stories, emotional complexity and narrative drive. Examining Florentine art after Giotto, we discover the challenges he laid down for generations of artists, with a special case study of frescoes in the basilica of Santa Croce.
As the Gothic style predominates, we explore how and why it looks so different in Siena, from Duccio to Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi. And finally, as the International Gothic style emerges – a fusion of chivalric elegance and Italian naturalism – we understand how Italy’s medieval art laid the groundwork for extraordinary renewal, at home and abroad.
Session 1 (Tuesday 9 March)
Cimabue and Giotto, from Assisi to Padua
Session 2 (Tuesday 16 March)
The Sienese Gothic
Session 3 (Tuesday 23 March)
Painting in Tuscany after Giotto, from Bernardo Daddi to the Gaddi family workshop
Session 4 (Tuesday 30 March)
The International Gothic and the beginning of the Renaissance boom
The lectures will be held in English and ONLINE
Each one hour lecture will be followed by 30 minutes of live discussion
Tutor: Dr Kathleen Olive
Dr Kathleen Olive is a literary and cultural historian, with a PhD in Florentine Renaissance studies from the University of Sydney. She has taught Italian language, literature and history at the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, and leads popular Italian art courses at the WEA. Kathleen, travels frequently to Italy, both to pursue her research and to lead cultural tours for Academy Travel.
Course fee: $100 (no discounts apply)
Downolad the brochure HERE.
To book for the course download HERE the enrolment form, fill it in and send it to: studenti.iicsydney@esteri.it
For further information call: (02) 9261 1780