ARTH 364 - Studies in Renaissance Art and Architecture: Social Context of Renaissance

• W - 12:15-14:45
• EV-1.615
• INSTRUCTOR: Steven Stowell

The Renaissance in Europe (roughly 1300-1600) was a period of extraordinary development in art making practices. Artistic change in these centuries was fuelled by a myriad of social, intellectual, historical and spiritual developments. This course will set out a number of the core social contexts within which Renaissance art evolved, so that students may acquire an understanding of how art objects responded to and shaped social needs in Early Modern European society. Progressing chronologically and beginning in the fourteenth century, students will gain familiarity with the most essential forms of Renaissance art, major artistic innovators, key works of art, and methods for art interpretation. Students will also acquire an understanding of key historical developments in European culture. The social contexts will include, for example: new forms of art and devotion in urban settings; the development of civic identity through art; inter-relations between art and science; the impact of the humanist cultural movement on visual art; the arts of Renaissance courts; the changing status of the artist. This course focuses primarily on Renaissance Italy, though other regions may also be considered. Architecture is not a main focus of this course, though many of the works are part of architectural spaces, and will be considered in relation to their spatial contexts.