Are you fascinated by Italy’s magnificent cultural works? Our course on the History of Italian Art will enable you to understand its history and social background. The course is designed to show, by means of slides and guided visits, the development of art in Italy in relation to the rest of Europe and offers you an introduction to the most important artistic styles (Romanesque, Renaissance, Baroque, Rationalism and Modern). You will become acquainted with the most important works of artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini, Borromini and Caravaggio while learning about the most significant historical and social events that accompanied them.
The program foresees the following subjects:
- Introduction: ROME – the Eternal City
- Ancient Rome:
- the Forum Romanum (Foro Romano);
- the Palatine (Palatino);
- the Imperial Forums;
- the Colosseum;
- the Capitol.
- Medieval Rome:
- Trastevere;
- Santa Maria in Trastevere;
- Basilica Santa Cecilia;
- Santa Maria in Cosmedin and la “Bocca della verità”;
- San Clemente.
- The Vatican city:
- St. Peter’s;
- St. Peters square;
- the Vatican Museums.
- Il Barocco:
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini – Piazza Navona, elephant Obelisk, S. Maria sopra Minerva;
- Francesco Borromini – Francesco Borromini’s S. Ivo alla Sapienza;
- Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – San Luigi dei Francesi, Sant’Agostino and Santa Maria del Popolo;
- Galleria Borghese.
- Rome’s Rationalism District:
- Contemporary Rome:
- the Ara Pacis;
- the Auditorium.
——————————–
To spend a vacation in Rome means being in contact with history, art and a wide variety of cutlural phenomena.
Our History of Art in Rome course is an opportunity to get to know the city of Rome throughout the course of its historical and artistic evolution. We start with the classical era, exploring it through the texts of ancient writers and the direct experience of monuments which have survived the passage of centuries. We then move onto Christianity, which had its early development in this city, via the works of sacred art found in local churches and convents. We will then acquire an appreciation for the whimsical Baroque and Rococo masterpieces that decorate the piazzas and streets. We’ll conclude with works of art and architecture of the period after 1870, when Rome became the capital of Italy.
The History of Art in Rome course consists of classroom sessions as well as on-site visits across the city. The syllabus is constructed as a series of interlocking journeys of discovery.
The course begins in the classroom, using texts, slides, illustrations and maps to introduce the origins of the history of Rome and its development through time.
Rome from its beginnings to the Empire: Our focus is on major monuments of classical antiquity, such as the Roman forum complex, the Colosseum and the Pantheon, which trace both the political and cultural evolution of Rome from the period of the Republic to that of the Empire.
Early Christian and Medieval Rome (4th – 13th centuries): We explore the churches and convents which gave visual form to Christian spirituality in their architecture, mosaics, frescoes and altarpieces by such masters as Cavallini, Torriti, Rusuti, etc.
Renaissance Rome (15th-16th centuries): We experience the world-renowned masterpieces of Michelangelo, Raphael and Bramante in churches and palaces such as the Vatican basilica and Villa Farnesina, as well as innovative urban spaces like the Capitoline piazza and the Via Giulia.
Baroque Rome (17th-18th centuries): Our topic is the triumph of fantasy in the fountains, palaces and churches of Bernini and Borromini and their successors, with particular emphasis on the areas of Piazza Navona, Piazza Quirinale and the Spanish Steps.
Rome the Capital (1870) and Fascist Rome: We investigate the period in which Rome was transformed into a modern capital by the Savoy monarchy, which commissioned wide avenues and enclosed piazzas. Later, with Mussolini, Rome regained its central role as the symbol of classical culture, as seen in the EUR quarter and the Italico Forum.
