The Renaissance is thought to be a historical period, but it actually was a movement that originated in Italy. It was based on the return to the values of classical antiquity, both Roman and Greek. In order to understand the scope of the movement it is necessary to fully grasp the historical and social whereabouts in which it developed. Focusing on art, and only on art, is not enough. We need to look into the political and economic background and the patterns of social behavior. The most ifluential theory, that of Jacob Burckhardt in the 19th century, was not about art. It was primarily a survey on the emergence of modernity. His ideas became extremely influential despite the fact that they were strongly contested by medevialists. According to Burckhardt the Renaissance took place between 1400 and 1600. We will establish that the movement of the Renaissance was active before and after the boundaries set by Burckhardt. The key factors in order to establish the time configuration of the movement are the appreciation of the classical antiquity and the humanistic values.
With the completion of the seminar the students will:
Week 1 Lecture: Renaissance, Italian or European?
Week 2 Lecture: The content of the Renaissance.
Week 3 Lecture: The Renaissance people.
Week 4 Lecture: The economy of the Renaissance.
Week 5 Lecture: The concept, content and use of art.
Week 6 Analysis: Famous paintings.
Week 7 Lecture: Theories on the Renaissance 1.
Week 8 Lecture: Theories on the Renaissance 2.
Week 9 Presentation: J. Burckhardt, The civilization of the Renaissance in Italy.
Week 10 Presentation: J. Huizinga, The waning of the Middle Ages.
Week 11 Presentation: P. Burke, The Renaissance.
Week 12 Virtual tour of the city of Florence.
Week 13 Conclusions.
The lesson will be fulfilled with lectures, presentations made by students followed by commenting and debate, and the virtual tour of Florence.
Zoom teleconferencing,
Open e-class,
Padlets and blogs for the work groups and presentations of the students.
The evaluation will be based on:
- one (1) individual presentation (50%) with title and subject matter: The survivals of the idea of the Renaissance today.
- One (1) essay (50%) on a specific topic based on a bibliography provided by the instructor.