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Home , Women in Italy

CSU IP Virtual International Program

Spring 2021

ART 401 Women in the Art in Italy

COURSE INFORMATION Instructor: Alice Parri Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Mon., 12.30am – 1.30pm (Pacific Standard Time) / 9:30pm – 10:30pm (Italy) Class Schedule: Mon., 11.30 am – 12.30am (Pacific Standard Time) / 8:30pm – 9:30pm (Italy) Class Location: Online via Zoom Credits: 3 CSU Units CSU GE Category: C3, C4 or C elective

COURSE DESCRIPTION The course aims at providing students with an overview of the imagery of women in Italy from the Medieval through the Renaissance and Baroque period. The different ways in which women have been represented will be explored and discussed in connection with their respective social and cultural context. Along with the representation of women, the course presents a selection of Italian female artists, painters and sculptors, that have been celebrated in the past and still today for their exceptional qualities and their role in the artistic panorama of the time. A specific section of the course will be dedicated to the role of women as art collectors, patrons and pioneers of the contemporary artistic taste.

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Students will learn to:

• Identify and distinguish the different ways in which women have been represented over the centuries in the ; • Outline the imagery of women in Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque period in connection with specific interpretations, meanings and functions attributed in their respective cultural context; • Recognize and discuss upon the Italian ; • Examine and discuss upon the role of Italian women as art collector and patrons.

LEARNING OUTCOMES By successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify, distinguish and discuss the different ways in which women have been represented in Italy from Medieval to Baroque period using explanatory examples and proper arguments; • Analyze interpretations, meanings and functions attributed to the female imagery in different cultural contexts using appropriate examples and connections; • Examine life, social status and work of a selection of Italian women artists belonged to the Renaissance and Baroque period such as Plautilla Nelli, Sofonisba Anguissola, Artemisia Gentileschi; • Discuss upon the reputation and authority acquired by Italian or Italian ‘adopted’ women as art collector and patrons such as Isabella d’Este, Eleonora da Toledo, Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, Peggy Guggenheim.

REQUIRED BOOKS AND READINGS The teacher will provide students with a selection of books chapters and articles to be studied as course material. The following texts will be available for students in Canvas:

• Tinagli, Women in Art. Gender, Representation, Identity. Manchester University Press. 1997 – ISBN 9780719040542; • Jonathan K.Nelson, ed., Suor Plautilla Nelli (1523-1588). The Painter-Prioress of Renaissance Florence, Syracuse University of Florence, The Villa Rossi Series, vol. IV, 2008. ISBN:9788879232159; • Mary Garrard, Artemisia Gentileschi, The Image of the Female Hero in Italian Baroque Art, Princeton, Princeton Univ. Press, 1989. ISBN:

Articles

• Martha Levine Dunkelman, “Donatello’s Mary Magdalene: A Model of Courage and Survival,” Women’s Art Journal, 26, no. 2, Autumn 2005 – Winter 2006, 10- 13; • Yael Even, “The Heroine as Hero in Michelangelo’s Art,” in William Wallace, ed., Michelangelo: Selected Scholarship in English, vol. 2, The Sistine Chapel, Garland Publishing, 1995, 381-385; • Mary Garrard, “Here’s Looking at Me: Sofonisba Anguissola and the Problem of the Artist,” Renaissance Quarterly, XLVII, 3, pp. 556-622. In addition to the abovementioned material students are asked to study teacher’s weekly lectures in pdf format (available in Canvas) and other handouts the teacher may assign.

COURSE METHODS The lectures are divided in three main sections focused on specific topics: Representation of women in the art between Medieval and Baroque period; Women artists in Italy; Women engaged with the arts – Patrons and collectors. The course is organized in:

• Lectures given by the teacher (on line sessions on Zoom) focusing on specific topics as listed in the classroom schedule • Instructional and learning activities (available in Canvas) to be completed by students individually and/or in pairs (such as short PowerPoint presentations, readings, quizzes, forums/discussions).

GENERAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS You are responsible for the weekly readings, the information given to you in class or on Canvas. Part of your 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 Teaching material includes the use of short videos and animated slideshow presentations of the most important Italian and Florentine museums. GRADES/ EXAMS Your grade will be determined by the following assignments:

• Midterm 35% • Final 35% • Learning activities 25% • Class participation 5%

Students will perform an oral presentation (Midterm) and a written paper (Final). FINAL EXAM The final exam will take place on May 9 from 12:30am – 1:3pm (Pacific Standard Time), 8.30pm to 9.30pm (Italy). Day and time to be confirmed. The exam will include all issues dealt with in class during the course. IMPORTANT: you must attend the final exam as scheduled. Please check your academic calendar before making any personal plans that could interfere with your exam. GRADING SCALE

• A 94-100 • A- 90-93 • B+ 87-89 • B 84-86 • B- 80-83 • C+ 77-79 • C 74-76 • C- 70-73 • D+ 67-69 • D 64-66 • D- 60-63 • F 59

IMPORTANT: Failure to complete all work assigned in the course could result in failure of the class. CLASSROOM SCHEDULE Week One: Feb. 8 – Women in the arts: An Introduction Explanation of the syllabus and the use of digital tools and resources. Course organization and summary of the topics that will be covered in class. Introduction to the Representation of the woman in Italian Art I: Between sin and salvation. The dichotomy of Eve and Virgin Mary. Week Two: Feb. 15 – Representation of Woman in the Italian Art I Continuation of the previous class. From Medieval to Renaissance period. Virgin Mary and other religious figures as "exempla virtutis". Vices and virtues. The female imagery in the domestic context. Week Three: Feb. 22 – The Representation of Woman in the Italian Art II The female world in the Renaissance. Religious, realistic and commemorative portraits accomplished by the most important artists of the Early Renaissance as Filippo Lippi, Piero della Francesca, Ghirlandaio, Pollaiolo, Verrocchio and others. Week Four: March 1 – The Representation of Woman in the Italian Art III Continuation from the previous class. The development of the portrait in the High Renaissance: the lesson of Leonardo, Raphael, Titian. Masculinity and femininity in the High Renaissance and Baroque Art. The multifold value of the nude. The recall of classical models. Sensuality, purity and sin. Works by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael, Giorgione, Caravaggio and others. Week Five: March 8 – Women engaged with the arts The exemplary case of Isabella d’Este (1474-1539), marquise of Mantua, patron and art collector. Her authority, cultural position, relationship with artists of the time. Week Six: March 15 – Women artists Ways of being a woman artist: the first documented painters in Italy, from Plautilla Nelli (1524-1588) to Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625). Week Seven: March 22 - MIDTERM EXAM - written essay questions Week Eight: April 5 – National Holiday in Italy: Easter Monday No class online today. An asynchronous additional lecture to make up this class will be posted in Canvas: Women engaged with the arts. Eleonora of Toledo, Duchess of (1522-1562). Week Nine: April 12 – Women artists Artemisia Gentileschi I (1593-1653) Week Ten: - April 19 - Women artists Artemisia Gentileschi II (1593-1653) Week Eleven: – April 26 – Women engaged with the arts The last Medici. Anna Maria Luisa (1667-1743) and the legacy of the Florentine collections. Week Twelve: - May 3 – Women engaged with the arts Peggy Guggenheim (1898-1979). An American art addict in Venice. Week Thirteen: May 10 - FINAL EXAM – oral presentation - from 12:30am – 1:30pm (Pacific Standard Time), 8:30pm to 9:30pm Italy. Day and time to be confirmed. A topic research paper is required a week after the last day of the course. The guideline for the Final exam will be available for students after the Midterm break.