Module and Programme Catalogue

Search site

Find information on

2008/09 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ARTF3048 Venice and the Boundaries of Renaissance Art

20 creditsClass Size: 20

Module manager: Dr Eva Frojmovic
Email: E.Frojmovic@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2008/09

Pre-requisite qualifications

ARTF2000 or any level two ARTF coded module

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module interrogates some of the received notions surrounding the alleged conceptual opposition between Florence/Rome and Venice, such as the primacy of drawing and subject matter (Florence) vs. colour and 'pure painting' (Venice). We will cover public, semi-private and private spaces of artistic practice, and women's patronage. In the public sphere, we will look at the Palazzo Ducale (Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto), the Marciana Library and the Arsenal (Sansovino). Among the semi-private spaces, we will look at church patronage, and at the aristocratic confraternities, the Scuole. Finally, we will reconstruct the emerging private space of the patrician collections. We will trace the beginnings of a novel concept of 'art' in a new kind of panel painting as practiced by Antonello da Messina, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione and Titian, including consideration of the problematic role of the female nude in the pastoral genre. We will reconsider the chronological boundaries of the Renaissance, and also open up its geographical, religious, and ethnic boundaries, by including study of the visiting and resident strangers in Venice: German merchants and artists (Durer); the Jewish ghetto; Venetian ties and tensions with the Ottoman Empire.Assessment: 1 x 1 hour exam (50%) and 1 x 2-3,000 word essay (50%)

Objectives

By the end of this module, students should have an expanded and more complex notion of the boundaries of Renaissance art and of the role of Venice during the Renaissance and after. Students should be able to distinguish between the different spaces of artistic production and consumption, including state projects such as the Ducal Palace, family chapels, Scuole, private collections. Students should have acquired a clear grasp of important debates surrounding the notions of Renaissance art: debates about the importance of colour and 'pure painting' vs drawing and subject matter (i.e. did Venetian artists neglect subject matter and drawing and privilege 'pure painting'?), the role of ideology in Venetian public art (i.e. the limits to the search for meaning), the emergence of the modern concept of secular art. Across the array, the module offers detailed engagement, suitable to final year students, with one major art historical period and location from a critical and comparative angle.

Skills outcomes
Verbal and written fluency in constructing a logical and coherent argument.
Use of audio visual aids
Participation in group discussions
Co-ordination and dissemination of a range of historical, contextual visual information
Using bibliographies and databases


Syllabus

This module will offer in-depth exploration of a major centre of artistic theory and practice during the Renaissance. We will interrogate some of the received notions surrounding the alleged conceptual opposition between Florence/Rome and Venice, such as the primacy of drawing and subject matter (Florence) vs. colour and 'pure painting' (Venice). The module will cover public, semi-private and private spaces of artistic practice, and include attention to women's patronage. In the public sphere, we will look at the Palazzo Ducale (Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto), the Marciana Library and the Arsenal (Sansovino). Among the semi-private spaces, we will look at church patronage, and at the aristocratic confraternities, the Scuole. Finally, we will reconstruct the emerging private space of the patrician collections. We will trace the beginnings of a novel concept of 'art' in a new kind of panel painting as practiced by Antonello da Messina, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione and Titian, including consideration of the problematic role of the female nude in the pastoral genre. We will reconsider the chronological boundaries of the Renaissance, and also open up its geographical, religious, and ethnic boundaries, by including study of the visiting and resident strangers in Venice: German merchants and artists (Durer); the Jewish ghetto; Venetian ties and tensions with the Ottoman Empire.

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Lecture112.0022.00
Private study hours178.00
Total Contact hours22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)200.00

Private study

110 hours - class preparation including reading and researching textual and visual materials
20 hours - presentation preparation
48 hours - essay preparation

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

- student presentations
- attendance at seminars/lectures
- contribution to class discussions

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Essay1 x 2,000-3,000 word essay50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)1 hr 00 mins50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 29/05/2009

Disclaimer

Browse Other Catalogues

Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team.PROD

© Copyright Leeds 2019