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Course Units 2013-2014 UCL CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION Course Units 2013-2014 Reading Examination: LCIA6801: Italian for Art Historians This examination counts for 40% of your final mark. It comprises: Reading Skills 40% Duration: 2 hours Date: XX-May-2014 Time: 10:00/14:30 Version: v1.01 2014-02-26 © 2014 University College London ITALIAN FOR ART HISTORIANS: LCIA6801 Page 2 CONTINUED ITALIAN FOR ART HISTORIANS: LCIA6801 Page 3 In this examination you can obtain a maximum of 100 points which are awarded as follows: Reading Skills: 100 points Reading Competence: 100 points Answer ALL TASKS in ENGLISH in the separate EXAMINATION ANSWER BOOK(S) provided. Answer only ONE TASK ON EACH PAGE and begin EACH answer on a fresh page. YOU MAY USE A DICTIONARY OF YOUR CHOICE. In order for your answers to remain anonymous do NOT use your name when completing the tasks. Document A L’«Officina» dei colori La grande stagione artistica della città che nel Quattrocento vide presenti e attivi Donatello, Paolo Uccello e Filippo Lippi. Una mostra nel restaurato Palazzo Pretorio A. [Title 1] Angustiata da una crisi economica senza precedenti e alle prese con il problema di un’immigrazione biblica sostanzialmente fuori controllo, la città di Prato ha deciso di reagire. E lo ha fatto puntando5 sulla cultura e sulla valorizzazione del proprio patrimonio artistico, un patrimonio così ingente, intatto e rilevante da poter rammentare al mondo che la città fu, nel Quattrocento, una delle piccole gloriose capitali del Rinascimento italiano.10 B. [Title 2] Prato iniziò a distinguersi già nel Medioevo. Divenuta libero comune nel 1140 e vittoriosa su Pistoia nel 1193, la città conobbe una costante ascesa economica legata alla produzione della lana e della carta. La ricchezza le permise il privilegio di una sostanziale indipendenza da Firenze e un ruolo di riguardo sullo scacchiere internazionale: per Prato passava, ad esempio,15 la via imperiale che collegava la Germania con i regni del sud, per cui fu luogo di sosta prediletto dagli Hohenstaufen (gli Svevi) che qui eressero nel 1248 l’imponente Castello dell’Imperatore. C. [Title 3] Anche sul fronte religioso Prato divenne un centro di grande attrazione, in virtù dell’arrivo in20 città di una reliquia davvero d’eccezione: il Santo Cingolo della Madonna. Una pia leggenda TURN OVER ITALIAN FOR ART HISTORIANS: LCIA6801 Page 4 racconta che al momento della sua Assunzione in cielo Maria consegnò allo scettico apostolo Tommaso la sua cintura. Questo divino “accessorio”, giunto da Gerusalemme a Prato in modo a dir poco avventuroso, fu all’origine del boom artistico di Prato. Nel coro della chiesa di Santo 25 Stefano (l’attuale Duomo) venne eretta al principio del Trecento una grandiosa cappella per custodire e venerare la reliquia mariana. Poi, a metà Trecento, il Santo Cingolo venne spostato in una nuova cappella presso l’ingresso sinistro della chiesa con rutilanti affreschi con le Storie di Maria dipinti dal pittore Agnolo Gaddi tra il 1392 e il 1394. D. [Title 4] 30 A cavallo dei secoli XIV e XV Prato è al culmine della sua potenza economica, impersonata dalla straordinaria figura del mercante –capitalista Francesco Datini, su cui Iris Origo scrisse una biografia esemplare. Operando in tutta Europa con inaudito successo, Datini accumulò un’incalcolabile fortuna che, morendo nel 1411 senza eredi, egli mise a disposizione della comunità di Prato attraverso una Fondazione chiamata il Ceppo Nuovo (il “ceppo” era la 35 cassettina delle elemosine). L’immissione di capitale fresco incoraggiò una nuova stagione artistica legata sempre all’abbellimento della chiesa di Santo Stefano, nella quale eserciti di pellegrini venivano a venerare devotamente la reliquia del Santo Cingolo, rinserrata in una spettacolare cancellata bronzea modellata da Maso di Bartolomeo. In questo frangente nacque quella che gli storici definiscono l’«Officina pratese», ed è proprio questa fulgida 40 stagione artistica, breve ma sorprendente per qualità e vitalità, il fulcro della bellissima mostra aperta al Palazzo Pretorio di Prato fino al 13 gennaio 2014. E. [Title 5] A questa speciale esposizione la città vuole affidare la riscossa della propria immagine. A cominciare dalla scelta della sede della mostra, l’antico e svettante Palazzo Pretorio, posto nel 45 cuore geografico della città e perfettamente recuperato dopo decenni di chiusura, incuria e abbandono. Al termine della mostra il Palazzo Pretorio tornerà a essere la sede dei Musei cittadini, raccogliendo dipinti su tavola, tele, affreschi staccati, sculture e altri tesori sino a oggi ricoverati in altre sedi o relegati nei depositi. Curata da Andrea De Marchi e Cristina Gnoni Mavarelli secondo le regole della più rigorosa filologia (e per questo dedicata a due 50 sommi filologi da poco scomparsi, Miklòs Boskovits e Luciano Bellosi), la mostra di Prato ha tutte le carte in regola per far felici gli addetti ai lavori che vi ravvedono possibilità uniche di confronti tra opere e un progresso negli studi, e il grande pubblico degli appassionati ai quali sono offerte la sorpresa di opere oggettivamente bellissime e il piacere di vicende intriganti e persino osé. 55 F. [Title 6] Suddivisa in sette sezioni su due piani, la mostra racconta le imprese artistiche nate attorno a quel palcoscenico straordinario che fu la chiesa di Santo Stefano (oggi Duomo) e la relativa reliquia del Santo Cingolo. Attorno alla “cintura” mariana Prato aveva costruito la propria immagine e per la pubblica venerazione del Cingolo gli Operai di Santo Stefano avevano 60 chiamato nel 1428 Donatello e Michelozzo perché realizzassero un pulpito esterno sulla facciata che doveva servire alle periodiche ostensioni della reliquia. I due scultori inventarono un pulpito assolutamente nuovo, immaginando una teoria di putti all’antica scatenati in una danza di rito pagano. La prima sezione della mostra ci introduce all’«officina pratese» dei due scultori, mostrando soprattutto delicate terrecotte di Donatello. CONTINUED ITALIAN FOR ART HISTORIANS: LCIA6801 Page 5 65 G. [Title 7] La successiva grande impresa decorativa del Duomo fu la Cappella dell’Assunta. Terminato il pulpito, gli Operai chiamarono per affrescare le Storie della Vergine e di Santo Stefano il promettente Paolo di Dono, detto Paolo Uccello, allora agli esordi della sua carriera. La seconda sezione della mostra – dedicata proprio alla giovinezza di Paolo Uccello – gronda di 70 novità perché rappresenta la prima occasione di vedere riunita quasi tutta la produzione giovanile del grande maestro. Affreschi staccati, sinopie, predelle e squisite tavolette devozionali prestate da musei e collezioni private di tutto il mondo ci immettono nel mondo bizzarro e fatato di questo genio in erba. Paolo Uccello, non sappiamo perché, lasciò incompiuta la Cappella dell’Assunta. A completarla si dovette chiamare Andrea di Giusto, un 75 pittore nell’orbita di Beato Angelico; e così, quando si trattò di dotare la cappella di una pala d’altare, si scelse Zanobi Strozzi, un altro seguace dell’Angelico, il quale affidò a sua volta la realizzazione delle predelle della pala ai collaboratori Domenico di Michelino e Francesco di Stefano detto il Pesellino. La terza sezione della mostra ruota attorno alla ricostruzione della Pala della Cappella della Assunta che rimossa dalla sua sede e smembrata in tempi passati 80 viene qui rimontata per la prima volta accostando la pala centrale (nel frattempo approdata alla National Gallery di Dublino) alle predelle sottostanti, rimaste a Prato. H. [Title 8] La quarta sezione è il cuore della rassegna perché ci illustra la presenza di Filippo Lippi a Prato. In Duomo c’era ancora da decorare la cappella maggiore dietro l’altare, dove un tempo era 85 stata conservata la cintura della Vergine. Si invitò dapprima Beato Angelico, ma poiché costui declinò l’invito la seconda scelta cadde su Filippo Lippi, pittore molto noto a Firenze, molto amato dai Medici e molto attratto, nonostante la tonaca, dalle grazie femminili. Filippo Lippi venne a Prato, si stabilì in una casa nei pressi del Duomo, e dal 1452 al 1467- con una serie di defatiganti stop and go – compì il suo capolavoro nella cappella maggiore, illustrando le vite 90 parallele di Santo Stefano e San Giovanni Battista, patroni della chiesa. L’impegnativo lavoro in Duomo non gli impedì di evadere, nel frattempo, altre commissioni, come la sublime Natività di Annalena o la Madonna del Ceppo (pagata coi soldi del defunto Francesco Datini), o le tante deliziose Madonnine e Annunciazioni realizzate spesso in serie per la devozione privata. A Prato, Lippi impiantò una vera «officina», circondandosi da allievi di prim’ordine come il 95 Maestro della Natività di Castello – rimasto anonimo e al quale è dedicata la quinta parte della mostra – o come il frate vallombrosano Bartolozzo di Feo, detto Fra Diamante, titolare della sesta sezione della rassegna. I. [Title 9] Fra Diamante fu uno dei testimoni del clamoroso scandalo che coinvolse Fra Filippo Lippi a 100 Prato. Fra Filippo e Fra Diamante stavano realizzando a quattro mani la pala d’altare per le monache agostiniane di Santa Margherita (esposta al Palazzo Pretorio e dalla quale è tratto il dettaglio – logo della mostra). Accadde che il sanguigno Filippo, bazzicando il convento in questione, adocchiò una giovane e avvenente suora di nome Lucrezia Buti, la sedusse e, in occasione di un’uscita di lei dal convento per andare a venerare il Santo Cingolo, la rapì e la 105 portò a casa sua. Nove mesi dopo nacque un bel bambino destinato a una grande carriera artistica: il pittore Filippino Lippi. È proprio sugli esordi artistici di Filippino a Prato e sul suo contatto giovanile con Botticelli che la mostra sull’«Officina pratese» si chiude davvero in bellezza. RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA Marco Carminati, IL SOLE 24 ORE, 15 settembre 2013 TURN OVER ITALIAN FOR ART HISTORIANS: LCIA6801 Page 6 You work in the art section of a library. As the only person who can read Italian, you have received this article and you have been asked to carry out the following tasks.
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