HART347 Renaissance Splendor: Art & Architecture of Venice and the Veneto 3 cr

An on-site, comprehensive examination of the painting, sculpture and architecture produced during the Golden Age of Venice, the Veneto and southern Lombardy, 1200-1800. There will be a classroom component at MassArt, in which students will discuss relevant art historical texts and learn conversational Italian. Beginning with a week-long stay in the great city itself, we will study the evolution of Venetian culture from its origins as an outpost of the Byzantine Empire to its rise as the greatest and most enduring republic the world has ever known, as well as one of the richest and most magnetic artistic centers in Europe. After seven days in Venice, we will leave for Mantua, stopping first in the foothills of the Alps to view Palladio’s Villa Barbaro, and then at Padua to view the frescoes by Giotto in the Arena Chapel, which for many mark the beginning of the Renaissance. In Mantua we will study the architecture of Alberti, the frescoes by Mantegna in the Ducal Palace, and finally, the tour-de-force of Renaissance pleasure construction, Giulio Romano’s Palazzo Te. SEE TRAVEL COURSE SECTION FOR OFFICIAL REGISTRATION PROCEDURES. TRAVEL TO ITALY REQUIRED.

Prerequisites: HART100