Art History

This course covers the history of fashion from antiquity to the present day, since its first expressions in ancient times to its latest contemporary evolution. Through the study of fashion trends, clothing manufacturers, and critical commentary, the course analyzes the evolution of masculine and feminine silhouettes, as well as the links between the textile economy, clothing design, and the materials used to make clothing. These studies are based on emblematic visual and material objects to identify tools for describing the history of fashion and its obsessions. Each session revolves around one chronomatic issue in order to retell the history of clothing, silhouette, and the culture of fashion.

This course is a challenging introductory course and is specifically for non-History of Art students. It examines early modern European art from the 13th to the 16th century, focusing on objects in London's galleries and museums and taught predominantly in front of works in these collections. The specific content of this course changes each year but the aim is to introduce students to key issues in Italian Renaissance and northern European art, focusing on paintings, sculpture, and the decorative arts in London institutions such as the National Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum. 

Although the content of this course may be labeled as "modern" art theory, it mainly deals with the first half of the 20th century.  This course examines how art has come to be established in modern times, in relation to the broader cultural and ideological context. The goal of the course is for participants to be able to view not only so-called works of art, but also objects that participants engage with that is inseparable from art. 

This course is a challenging introductory course and is for non-History of Art students. It examines modern and contemporary art focusing on objects in London's galleries and museums. The content of this course changes each year, but it introduces students to key issues and themes in British, European, and North American art from the mid-19th century through to the present day, by focusing on works in institutions such as Tate Britain and Tate Modern as well as smaller contemporary galleries such as The Whitechapel.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. This course focuses on the historical, theoretical, and methodological foundations of iconographic and iconological research. Through a diachronic examination of some examples, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages, the course explores the world of ancient images and their semantic value. In particular, the topics covered include: reading images: theoretical approaches; history of the studies in iconology; iconography and iconology in archaeology; current research methods and tools and their issues; and case studies (in FALL 2023) in Mediterranean Antiquity, from Prehistory to the Middle Age (the presented samples change every year).

Amid political revolutions and widespread social movements, the interwar period in Europe (1918–39) witnessed a dramatic reinvention of the figure of the artist and a broad questioning of the role of art in everyday life. Centered around movements such as Dada, Constructivism, and De Stijl as well as institutions like the Bauhaus and Vkhutemas, these activities engaged directly with technological shifts and industrial production, generating new formats and avenues for artistic production (textiles, photomontage, graphic design, exhibition displays, and more). Surveying this rich field of experimentation, this seminar places special emphasis on the role of women and the productive breakdown of notions of art, craft, and design.

Students examine how artists have explored the way in which contemporary galleries and museums function. Since the 1960s artists have adopted the museum as both subject and medium in their artworks. The course examines how such projects impact on our idea of what galleries and museums are, how they operate, and what role they have in public life today. Throughout, key ideas regarding aesthetics, politics, memory, and audience participation are approached by way of specific artworks and exhibitions. 

This course offers a study of the fundamental milestones in the development of Western philosophical thought, from its beginnings in ancient Greece to the early modern age, taking into account their scope and application to the field of aesthetics. 

This course explores the intersection of visual culture with modernity, empire, and revolution in the long 19th century, predominantly but not exclusively in Europe. Students pay close attention to the constructs of gender, class, race, and sexuality, particularly in relation to imperialism, colonialism, and rapid industrial, technological, and social change. Each week introduces key movements and themes, including Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Orientalism, Primitivism, and the emergence of the avant-gardes. Throughout, visual objects and material history are examined using analytic tools including feminist, post-colonial, and critical race theory.

During the 19th century painting flourished in Scotland and its artists made a significant contribution to British artistic developments. This course traces the development of Scottish painting during this period and introduces students to the discipline of art history. Focusing on some of the major artists of the period, such as Raeburn, Nasmyth, Wilkie, Paton, Orchardson, McTaggart and the Glasgow Boys, the course highlights the principal characteristics and innovations of their art and the context in which it was created. The development of Scottish painting within the wider framework of European art are also be explored.