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HUMA252 - Art, Politics and Society in Renaissance and Baroque Rome

10 cp
Prerequisites 10cp unit in Art History, History, Theological Studies, Studies of Religion or Philosophy
Teaching Organisation 2 x one day intensive seminars prior to departure and a two week ‘in–country’ field school in Rome with workload equivalent to 150 hours of study, including class attendance, readings, presentations and preparation for assignments.

The "Rome of the Popes" was one of the key centres of the High Renaissance and the birthplace of Baroque. By focusing on these periods in a two–week intensive field trip, students will engage with the works in situ, looking at how art practice was influenced by the beliefs and politics of the Reformation and Counter–reformation and the way in which classical iconography was transformed by Renaissance and Baroque artists. This unit illustrates a bridge between the classical and modern periods, demonstrating the influence of the past but also examining the emerging importance of the ‘individual’, ‘truth’ and relationships of power that have become key to our understanding of western culture. Exploring these narratives whilst critiquing the works will provide students with a new way of imagining the socio–political and aesthetic fabric of the period and the ways in which they connect to the history of western humanity and the arts as a whole.