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20Th Century Italian CSU IP Italy Virtual International Program SPRING 2021 ART 410 – 2OTH CENTURY ITALIAN ART Instructor: Marco Cianchi Email: [email protected] Office Hours: by appointment to be asked via email for a Zoom meeting Class Schedule: days/times Thursday 10:30am – 11:30 am (Pacific Standard Time) / 7:30pm-8:30pm (Italy time) Class Location: Online via Zoom COURSE DESCRIPTION This course sums up 100 years of Modern Italian art: from the Unification of the Country (1860) to the neo-avantgardes of the years 1960-1970. Featuring: the Macchiaioli art movement in Tuscany (often compared with French Impressionism); Italian Futurism that in the early 20thcentury greatly contributed to the International Avant-garde; Giorgio De Chirico’s Metaphysical Art that influenced European Surrealism. After World War I (1914-1918) there was a “Return to Order” that led to the art of the Fascist Era under Italy’s Mussolini dictatorship (1922-1944). Painting, sculpture, architecture of this long and complex period will be delineated with an emphasis on the latter. In 1945 after the Fall of Fascism and the end of World War II Italy became a democratic Republic and also the arts enjoyed new freedom that gave birth to a great season of international achievements in the post-war time. Renato Guttuso’s politically motivated figurative paintings were countered by Alberto Burri’s and Lucio Fontana’s abstract-formless art that opened the way to the neo-avantgardes of the 1960-1970s, among which the Arte Povera movement internationally stood out. The course also includes a selection of contemporary Italian artists and it offers an overview of the principal Modern Art museums and art collections of Italy. CREDITS: 3 CSU semester units CSU GE CATEGORY C3, C4 or C elective REQUIRED BOOK / READINGS Emily Braun (ed), Italian Art in the 20th Century. Painting and Sculpture1900-1988 (Munich and London: Prestel Verlag, 1989). Free access on line: https://archive.org/details/italianartin20th0000unse NOTE: extra readings will be posted by the instructor on Canvas. Students are supposed to consider them as part of the program, to be tested during exam. COURSE METHOD One hour Powerpoint lecture weekly, via Zoom, held by the teacher to introduce and to explain the main course topics. Home work, readings, personal research, writing assignements for the the students to enhance their own learning and to fulfill the course requirements. GENERAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS Students are responsible for the weekly readings, the information given in class or on Canvas. Part of the grade will be determined by regular attendance, participation in class discussions and active engagement in all activities of this course. Make sure to check your Canvas account on a regular basis for updates and additional information. CLASS SITE VISITS n/a LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, students will: be able to identify the main artists and art movements of Modern Italian Art be able to place artists and art movements within their social-cultural context be able to distinguish each artist’s style in the light of his/her biography recognize and understand the use of new art materials and new forms of expression that are typical of 20th century art “virtually” visit the most important modern art museums and art collections of Italy LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of the semester, students will be able to: relate and compare 20th century italian Art with European and American Art of the same period explain processes of change and/or of historical continuity in the History of Italian Art link 20th century Italian Art with the political, social, cultural history of Italy make personal reflections about the world wide changes that occured in the history of the 20th century relate art changes with 20th century’s war events, science revolutions, social uphevals. GRADES/ EXAMS Your grade will be determined by 2 syncronous exams (mid-term and final- 2 hours each), 2 research papers, assignments (weekly journal, discussion)), attendance and class participation, proportionally broken as follows: Mid-term Exam: 30% of the final grade Final Exam: 30% of the final grade Research Papers: 20% of the final grade (the deadlines for the papers are March 24 and May 6) Class participation: 20% of the final grade (class participation, attendance, assignments) Mid-term Exam (synchronous – 2 hours): a) Identify and comment 5 pictures (artist’s name, title and date of the work, description and comment) - 200 words each; b) answer 5 questions with short essays – 200 words each. On the first half of the course. Final exam (synchronous- 2hours): a) Identify and comment 5 pictures (artist’s name, title and date of the work, description and comment) 200 words each; b) Answer 5 question with short essays – 200 words each. On the second half of the course. IMPORTANT: you must attend the exams as scheduled. Please check your academic calendar before making any personal plans that could interfere with your exams. GRADING SCALE Student performance has been outstanding and indicates an 100- A exceptional degree of academic achievement in meeting learning 94 outcomes and course requirements A- 93-90 B+ 89-87 Student performance has been at a high level and indicates solid B 86-84 academic achievement in meeting learning outcomes and course requirements B- 83-80 C+ 79-77 Student performance has been adequate and indicates satisfactory C 76-74 academic achievement in meeting learning outcomes and course requirements C- 73-70 D 69-67 + Student performance has been less than adequate and indicates D 66-64 deficiencies in meeting the learning outcomes and/or course requirements D- 63-60 Student performance has been unacceptable and indicates a failure to F 59-0 meet the learning outcomes and/or course requirements NOTE: Failure to complete all work assigned in the course could result in failure of the class. The + and – symbols will be used for grading (except for A+), Specific information about reseach papers, exams and other projects will be given to you during the semester. Late work lowers 1 letter grade. Attendance: more than 2 unexcused absences may lower the final grade. CLASS CODE OF CONDUCT Activities unrelated to the course (including private conversations, emailing, text messaging, reading, web surfing, etc.) are not permitted during class time. Please turn off or put all electronic devices on silent mode prior to the beginning of the class. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED Any form of plagiarism or cheating may result in a failing final grade in the course and might be reported to IP and your campus. You are better off spending your time studying for the class. If you have questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, please refer to the student handbook and catalog of your campus or ask the CSU Office of International Programs for more information. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Upon identifying yourself to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluations. For more information, contact the CSU Office of International Programs. COPYRIGHT AND PRIVACY LAWS No texts, films, videos, and other material used in this course can be reproduced in any format including scanning, electronic downloading or sharing of files. They are for class use only. In addition, no class lectures (or portions of them) , discussions, and activities can be reproduced and used in any format, including electronic, without the written consent of the instructor and/or guest speakers. CHANGES Information contained in this syllabus, including the class calendar, other than that mandated by the University, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor. ATTENDANCE POLICY Attendance to CSU VIP courses is mandatory. Two unexcused absences are allowed during the course but more than two unexcused absences will lower your grade ( excused absences will be accepted for serious medical reasons or emergencies) as follows: 3 unexcused absences, lowers one letter grade; 4 unexcused absences, lowers two letter grades; 5 unexcused absences, lower three letter grades; more than 5 unexcused absences could result in failure of the course. For on-line courses the teacher will track attendance calling the roll at the beginning of the class. In order not to disrupt the class, punctuality is required. Students are expected to be in class online, at the beginning of the class hour; any delay exceeding ten minutes will be considered an absence. During the academic year, material will be distributed by email or through Canvas by the Instructor. Students who have not attended class are responsible for getting the material from Canvas or from their class- mates. All assigned homework should be completed prior to the class. Missing the final exam could mean failure of the course. Incomplete assignment will be allowed only for serious emergencies and must be completed within the new date set together with the instructor. IMPORTANT/EXAMS You must participate in all exams and quizzes as scheduled. Make-up exams are given only for valid reasons. CLASSROOM SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE) See the next 2 pages CLASSROOM SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE) WEEK TOPIC READING ASSIGNMENT Week 1 Feb 8-12 Introduction: Braun: Teacher and Students self- N. Rosenthal, Introduction. introduction pp. 11-17 Course and syllabus G. Celant, Art from Italy, pp. presentation 19-20. Questions & Answers Thu, Feb. 11 On line session via Zoom Week 2 Feb 15-19 1860-1909: Italian Art at On the Macchiaioli: the turn of the 19th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki century /Macchiaioli (see in Macchiaioli particular Giovanni Fattori and Silvestro Lega) Divisionism (Segantini and Braun: Pellizza da Volpedo) A.M. Damigella, Divisionism Medardo Rosso and Symbolism in Italy at the Turn of the Century, pp. 33-41 Thu, Feb 18 On line session via Zoom Week 3 Feb 22-26 1909-1916: Italian Braun: Futurism E.
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