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Home , Classicism, Pietro Cavallini, Renaissance art, Trecento

Early Italian to 1470 Cathedrals, Courts, and  ARH 331K/CTI 375/EUS 347 (Fall 2016)

Professor: Dr. Ann Johns Meeting place and time: T/TH 9:30-10:45, DFA 2.204 Unique Numbers: 20235 (ARH), 36275 (EUS), 33823 (CTI) Contact Information: [email protected], office 471-1936 (but I don’t check voice mail), or Facebook Office Hours: DFA 2.520, T/TH 11:00-2:00 and by appointment (T/W/TH), mailbox DFA 2.526 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1059936514043536/ (closed group)

The Duomo of , c. 1900 photo

 Course Objectives: “I know two new/outstanding painters (novi pictores) ..., a Florentine citizen whose reputation is very great among the moderns (modernos), and Simone [Martini] of . --Francesco Petrarca, Rerum familiarium libri I-VIII, c. 1350

“[] showed such excellent qualities of grace and design that it was considered nearer what was done by the ancient Greeks and Romans than that of any other artist...” --, Lives of the Artists, 1568

In this course, we’ll trace the beginnings of the “rebirth” (Renaissance) of the visual in c. 1300 (the era of Dante and the independent Italian city-states) to the heyday of Florence under the Medici and the renewed vibrancy of papal in the later 15th century. We’ll begin with the seminal works of , , Arnolfo di Cambio, Cavallini, and Giotto, in the key cities of , , Siena, Florence, and Rome at the end of the 13th century. We’ll discuss the twin disasters of 14th century Italy: the devastating plague of 1348 and the retreat of the popes to Avignon, (also known as the “Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy”).

We’ll continue by exploring the work of Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, , , and other 15th century artists in the urban centers of . We’ll end c. 1470, with the Medici consolidation of power in Florence, the thriving, post-Avignon papacies of Nicholas V and Pius II, and the rise of the condottieri-led court cities of . Throughout, we’ll analyze and works of art both in formal terms and in relation to contemporary , religion, , economics, and statecraft. In particular, we’ll examine the emerging status of the Renaissance artist, exemplified by the theorist, artist, architect, and courtier . 1

Although this is an upper division course, there is no prerequisite. Nevertheless, you will be able to make more sense out of the material if you’ve had some , architectural history, Italian history, and/or European history of the era. If you have concerns, please talk to me early in the course. It is my hope that this class will be a collaborative effort. Throughout the course, I hope and expect to hear your impressions, insights, and questions about these extraordinary objects and structures. This means you should come to class having done the readings and prepared to talk!

Ultimately, I hope to inspire you to see this extraordinary art in person, either for the first time or for a repeat, but more informed, encounter, whether on your own or through Study Abroad. For more information on opportunities for study abroad, be sure to visit UT’s Study Abroad Office [SAO] at http://world.utexas.edu/abroad. Also, consider participating in the Department of Art and Art History’s Learning Program: http://art.utexas.edu/about/special-programs/study-abroad/learning-tuscany.

 Visual and Performing Arts Credit (VAPA): This course may be used to fulfill the visual and performing arts component of the university core curriculum and addresses the following four core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication skills, critical thinking skills, teamwork, and social responsibility.

 Global Cultures flag (GC): This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

 Required Readings: Each student must read all of the readings posted on the Course Canvas site; I HIGHLY recommend that you purchase the course packet of these readings, so that you can mark them up for class discussion and exam preparation. You can purchase these packets the first couple days of class. This is a much less expensive option than them yourselves. Students must also purchase and read parts of John Paoletti and Gary Radke’s Art in Renaissance Italy (any addition).

 Studying Strategies: I will provide you with study guides, useful websites, and other information throughout the semester. The study guides will list the specific images for which you will be responsible on the exams and quizzes. I will post all handouts on Canvas. I strongly suggest that you begin organizing your notes (class and reading) and begin learning the images we cover throughout the semester, and not wait until the day before each exam and/or quiz. There is no way that you will be able to remember all of this material unless you study the images as we learn about them.

In this class, it is CRITICAL that you do the reading. The reading is not always “thrilling”, but it’s necessary for a fuller understanding of both the artistic background and the pertinent cultural forces. I will expect you to have digested the main points of reading for both class discussions and exams. Remember to read for the main points; don’t get bogged down by the myriad of small details that constitute a scholarly article or book, and do remember that older accounts may be harder to read. If you’re not sure about what constitutes a “small detail”, I highly encourage you post on our closed class Facebook site (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1059936514043536/); if you tag me, I’ll see it and respond. Of course, you can also email me, but the advantage to Facebook is that everyone in the class can see and/or join in on the conversation.

I will post some suggestions on how to read critically, or how to improve your critical reading (and thinking!) skills. Here is something else: recently, studies have shown that students learn much better if they hand-write notes ( http://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away;

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http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/ ). I do allow laptops for note-taking, as long as that is all you are doing, but do consider hand-writing notes. Your image reserves will be located on DASe, UT’s digital image data base (more below). Look at these images often; experience has proven that you CANNOT absorb all of these images in one (or 2 or 3) nights. Most of us need some time to accumulate our “image banks”, so start early. Make flash cards, or make your own powerpoint. Look at your book. Consult your notes. Look at the images on DASe (see below). Form study groups—this has proven to be very effective. Learning to look at art and architecture is a skill, just like learning a language or mastering calculus. We’ll discuss studying techniques in class throughout the semester.

For some of you, this material will all come easily; for others, it will be a struggle. Start your studies early on. There is a very high correlation between following these study strategies and receiving a good grade.

Attendance is critical for this class, because although we have a textbook, we will discuss many works and sites that are not covered in the textbook. Please review the attendance policies, below.

 Image Data Base (DASe) and Canvas: The images for which you will be responsible can be found on UT’s DASe data base: https://dase.laits.utexas.edu/. The images are divided into 2 collections, JOHNS Early Renaissance Parts I and II and JOHNS Early Renaissance Parts III and IV. There are corresponding study guides for each exam/quiz. Detailed instructions on how to access DASe are posted on the course Canvas site. You can download these images and use them for studying. You can also take notes directly onto the DASe data base. We will review the DASe site in class.

I will also post lecture powerpoints on Canvas, shortly before class, and this has also proven to be a useful way to take notes. I guarantee that glancing at the powerpoint is no substitute for coming to class, as I include very little information on each image, other than title, artist, and date. Students have found these posted powerpoints useful for reviewing the information covered in a given day’s class.

 Grading: Essay tests: In this course, you’ll have 2 essay exams, each worth 25% of your grade (although you may substitute a research paper for the 2nd exam). In these exams, you will write about the some of the larger issues covered in class and in the reading. I will give you a list of possible essays the week before each test, to help you focus your studies and only the images on your STUDY GUIDES will be covered on the tests. You will be allowed to bring one 3” x 5” index card (or a piece of paper that size) to each exam. You can write on both sides and they need to be handwritten unless you wish to have 10 points deducted from your exam or quiz! Students have used this card in the past for essay outlines, short quotations from readings, etc. Please put your name on your card; we will collect them at the end of each exam. You will have the full class time for these exams (75 minutes). Quizzes: In addition, you will have 4 Quizzes: these quizzes will consist principally of image identification and short answers. For both the exams and the quizzes, only the images on your STUDY GUIDES will be covered on the tests. Additionally, I will only use images in the DASe data base for the 2 essay exams and the 4 quizzes. These will be short, 15 minute quizzes. Again, your notecards will be collected with your quiz, so please include your name. I allow you the card to reduce exam anxiety, but I also want you to focus on the larger issues and not sweat the spelling of long Italian names. THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES or EXAMS. Reading Responses: I have placed an asterisk (*) next to 20 readings; you need to pick 10 of these 20 readings and write a short (1 page, 2 pages max) reading response, due the day we discuss the reading. Please use double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font with 1” margins and black ink. Remember that this is not really a summary, although you may need to sum up some aspects of the essay or readings. Instead, in a reading response, the writer needs to explain, briefly, the point and/or position of the reading. In addition, the writer needs to argue whether or not the article is sufficiently convincing. Each response is worth 2% of your grade, for a total of 20%. Class participation:

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I expect everyone to contribute to class discussions. If you feel uncomfortable about contributing in class, please come see me, and we will find some other possible substitute activities. This is worth 10% of your grade.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE MARKED DOWN **ONE** GRADE A DAY, AND THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM. (By one grade, I mean from an A to an A-, for example)

We will use the +/- system of grading, which is as follows: A (4.00) = 93-100; A- (3.67) = 90-93; B+ (3.33) = 87- 89; B (3.00) = 84-86; B- (2.67) = 80-83; C+ (2.33) = 77-79; C (2.00) = 74-76; C- (1.67) = 70-73; D+ (1.33) = 67- 69; D (1.00) = 64-66; D- (0.67) = 60-63; F (0.00) = 0-59

 Optional Research Paper: I will have separate instructions available to those who wish to write the optional research paper (in lieu of exam II). This 10-15-page paper is STRONGLY recommended for all art history majors and anyone else who has an interest in the subject. You MUST visit me in office hours no later than the end of September. Your thesis statement and preliminary bibliography is due Thursday, October 13.

 Class rules: 1. Talk to the ENTIRE class. I would much prefer that you make your comments to the class as a whole than to the person next to you. Let’s be good listeners as well as good contributors. I will ask you to repeat your conversation to the whole class if you are chattering with a neighbor. 2. Arrive on time, as I will let you out on time. Also, please get a drink of water/go to the bathroom before or after class, not during class. 3. Feel free to bring coffee, sodas, or whatever else will keep you awake and participating! 4. Please silence your phones and save your text messages until another time. Oh, and if you’re looking at your lap, I’ll assume that you’re texting. 5. Use your laptops only for note taking. The misuse of these electronic gizmos is inconsiderate to your fellow students and it makes your professor(s) want to place you in a lower circle of Hell. I reserve the right to ask you to leave class if I find you using these devices inappropriately; this includes texting (phones) and checking Facebook, playing solitaire, etc., on your computer. For the most part, you should NOT even need your computer open. 6. At all times, you should be considerate and respectful towards your classmates and their opinions, which may differ from yours. This doesn’t mean that you have to agree with everyone—discussions are much more if people disagree! But each person is entitled to her/his informed opinion. 7. When you send me an email, please remember that this is NOT a text and therefore you should use a salutation (Dear Dr. Johns or Hi Prof. Johns, for example) and a closing with your name. This is probably the most important thing you’ll learn in this class! For more information, see: http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/email-etiquette.html. 8. Please check your email/Canvas regularly for notifications and updates. 9. Attendance is essentially mandatory (see below for specifics).

 Attendance: It is virtually impossible to get an “A” or “B” in this class unless you attend faithfully, as we do not use a single textbook, and I do take roll every class. On the other hand, if you attend, participate, do the readings and assignments, and study for the exams, you should quite easily earn an “A” or “B”. Important religious holidays, serious illnesses, or true family crises are, of course, perfectly valid reasons for missing class. You are allowed THREE unexcused absences. More absences will result in a dramatic lowering of your grade.

 Academic Honesty: Any type of cheating, plagiarism, collusion (except studying together), is grounds for an immediate “F” in the course, and often expulsion from the University. Besides being, ultimately, harmful to the student who cheats, it is extremely unfair to fellow students, and time-consuming and disheartening for the professor. It is absurdly easy to determine whether a student has plagiarized all or some of a paper, thanks to Google. I attempt to create courses in which students neither want to nor can cheat. 4

Please note that if I do find evidence of plagiarism, I will immediately report it to the Office of the Dean of Students. This is a very disheartening exercise for me, so do your own work.  Learning Differences and Disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides, upon request, appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY. Please inform me privately, well in advance of any exam or quiz, if you have the official University paperwork, and I will accommodate your special needs.

 Copyright issues: The materials used in this class, including, but not limited to, exams, quizzes, and homework assignments are copyright protected works. Any unauthorized copying of the class materials is a violation of federal law and may result in disciplinary actions being taken against the student. Additionally, the sharing of class materials without the specific, express approval of the instructor may be a violation of the University's Student Honor Code and an act of academic dishonesty, which could result in further disciplinary action. This includes, among other things, uploading class materials to websites for the purpose of sharing those materials with other current or future students.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE MARKED DOWN **ONE** GRADE A DAY (for example: an A paper would become an A- paper)

THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS AND THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM!!!!!!

 RECAP 

Exam I: 25%; Exam II (or individual paper): 25%; Quizzes 1, 2, 3, and 4: 5% each (20% total) 10 Short Reading Responses at 2% each (20%) Class Participation (10%)

Lorenzo Maitani, Hell (low-relief ), façade of Orvieto Duomo

 CALENDAR OF READINGS, ASSIGNMENTS, AND EXAMS  (Subject to Change)

(NOTE: The readings should be completed by the date under which they are listed) *=a reading that can be used for a Reading Response

Aug. 25 (Th): Syllabus Review and Class Objectives 5

A brief history of medieval Italy Reading: The syllabus

Aug. 30 (T): PART I: The Early : “new art” in the age of Dante and Giotto Class: Early centers of artistic innovation: Pisa and Assisi Reading: Paoletti, John T., and Gary M. Radke. Art in Renaissance Italy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2012 (4th ed.), 12-45 (finish before QUIZ I); 48-55; 66-72.

Sept. 1 (Th): Class: Roman rebirth: Cavallini, Torriti, and Arnolfo di Cambio Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 56-64; *Hetherington, Paul. "Pietro Cavallini, Artistic and Patronage in Late Medieval Rome." The Burlington Magazine 114, no. 826 (1972): 4- 10.

Sept. 6 (T): Class: Giotto in and Florence: painter and architect Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 72-77, 86-90; * Maginnis, Hayden B.J. “In Search of an Artist.” In The Cambridge Companion to Giotto, edited by Anne Derbes and Mark Sedona, 10-31. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Sept. 8 (Th): Class: Florence: sculpture at the new Duomo complex Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 80-81, 95-98; Moskowitz, Anita Fiderer. Italian Gothic Sculpture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, 63-66.

Sept. 13 (T): Class: Florence’s great and crucifixes, c. 1300 Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 84-86; *Cole, Bruce. "Old in New in the Early Trecento." Mitteilungen Des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz 17, no. 2/3 (1973): 229-48.

Sept. 15 (Th): Class: Siena: Marian narratives in the new Duomo complex Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 99-109; *Norman, Diana. “‘A noble panel’: Duccio’s Maestà.” In Siena, Florence and Padua: art, society, and religion, 1280-1400, II, edited by Diana Norman, 54-80. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995.

Sept. 20 (T): Class: QUIZ I Innovation in Sienese art: and Ambrogio Lorenzetti Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 114-118, 128-129; * Gardner, Julian. "Saint Louis of Toulouse, Robert of Anjou and Simone Martini." Zeitschrift Für Kunstgeschichte 39, no. 1 (1976): 12-33.

Sept. 22 (Th): PART II: Plague, Schism, and Crisis in the Arts: the “Calamitous 14th Century” Class: Rome: Boniface VIII and the Avignon years Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 64-66; *Tuchman, Barbara. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. New York: Ballantine Books, 1978, 92-125.

Sept. 27 (T): Class: Before the Black Death: Siena and Orvieto Reading: Hartt, Frederick and G. Wilkins. History of Italian . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2011 (7th ed.), 128-133; *Benton, Tim. “The design of Siena and Florence Duomos.” In Siena, Florence and Padua: art, society, and religion, 1280-1400, II, edited by Diana Norman, 128-143 (skim, but read the relevant sections on new construction at Siena’s Duomo). New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995.

Sept. 29 (Th): Class: After the Black Death: Andrea Orcagna and Orsanmichele

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Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 156-159, 166-168; *Fabbri, Nancy Rash, and Rutenburg Nina. "The Tabernacle of Orsanmichele in Context." The Art Bulletin 63, no. 3 (1981): 385-405.

Oct. 4 (T): Class: After the Black Death: Pisa’s Camposanto and Siena’s Ospedale Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 153-156; *Ahl, Diane Cole. "Camposanto, Terra Santa: Picturing the Holy Land in Pisa." Artibus Et Historiae 24, no. 48 (2003): 95-122.

Oct. 6 (Th): Class: QUIZ 2 The Black Death and the arts Reading: *Meiss, Millard. in Florence and Siena After the Black Death: The Arts, Religion and Society in the Mid-Fourteenth Century. New York: Harper & Row, 1951, 59- 73; and * Steinhoff, Judith. Sienese Painting After the Black Death. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007, 9-26.

Oct. 11 (T): ESSAY EXAM I

Oct. 13 (Th): PART III: Florence and the “early” Renaissance: Guilds, Competition, Collaboration Class: Ghiberti and Brunelleschi: The Bronze Doors of Florence’s Baptistery Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 203-207; *Krautheimer, Richard. . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1982, 44-49.

Oct. 18 (T): Class: Brunelleschi: Competition and Classicism in architecture Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 215-219; *King, Ross. Brunelleschi’s . New York: Penguin Books, 2000, 1-20, 43-48, 76-81, 91-107.

Oct. 20 (Th): Class: Donatello and sculptural competitions at Florence’s Duomo and Orsanmichele Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 209-215; *Turner, Richard. “Speaking Statues.” In Renaissance Florence: the invention of a new art. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997, 50-67.

Oct. 25 (T): Class: Masaccio and Masolino, Florence and Rome: artistic collaboration Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 228-232; *Ladis, Andrew. The , Florence. New York: George Braziller, 1993, 19-45.

Oct. 27 (Th): Class: Good monk, “bad” monk: Fra Angelico and Fra Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 221-222, *Ahl, Diane Cole. Fra Angelico. New York and London: Phaidon, 2008, 70-93.

Nov. 1 (T): Class: QUIZ 3 Uccello, Castagno, and , according to Vasari Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 227; Vasari online: http://members.efn.org/~acd/vite/VasariUccello.html; http://members.efn.org/~acd/vite/VasariCastagno.html (this account includes both Castagno and Domenico Veneziano)

Nov. 3 (Th): No class

Nov. 8 (T): PART IV: Classicism and the Courtly Patron, c. 1440-70 Class: Classicism in sculpture in Florence

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Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 244-245, 261, 264-67; Hartt and Wilkins, 239-241; *McHam, Sarah Blake. "Donatello's Bronze "David" and "Judith" as Metaphors of Medici Rule in Florence." The Art Bulletin 83, no. 1 (2001): 32-47.

Nov. 10 (Th): Class: The Equestrian Portrait in the Early Renaissance: sculpture and Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 240-242, 262-64; *Bergstein, Mary. "Donatello's "Gattamelata" and Its Humanist Audience." Renaissance Quarterly 55, no. 3 (2002): 833- 68.

Nov. 15 (T): Class: Alberti in Florence, Rimini, and Mantua: Theorist and architect Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 33-35, 277-278, 344-346, 351-352; peruse Alberti’s Ten Books on Architecture (/On the Art of Building) (pdf on Canvas).

Nov. 17 (Th): Class: Pius II and the papal courts in Rome and Pienza Reading: *Mack, Charles R. Pienza: The Creation of a Renaissance City. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1987, 17-42.

Nov. 22 (T): Class: QUIZ 4 and , court painters Reading: Paoletti and Radke, 347-348, 354-359; * Cole, Alison. Art of the Courts. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995, 142-59.

Nov. 24 (Th): Thanksgiving Holiday: No class

Nov. 29 (T): Catch up, review, evaluations.

Dec. 1 (Th): ESSAY EXAM II (or paper due)

Piero della Francesca, St. Sigismund Venerated by Sigismondo Malatesta, fresco, Tempio Malatestiano, Rimini, c. 1451

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