ART 295: The Early Renaissance in Florence & Flanders

(Paula Nuttall), 2 credits, prerequisite: none. Enrollment cap: 15. The Florentine renaissance is widely regarded as an artistic watershed, when artists formulated new ways of representing reality based on direct observation, scientific principles and classical precedent, with profound implications for the course of European art. Equally important were contemporary developments in Flanders, where artists were likewise engaged in new ways of seeing, and where the oil technique offered unprecedented potential for depicting light and texture. This course will provide the opportunity to study the art of both Flanders and Florence, introducing students to the major artists (Masaccio, Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden), and to broader art historical themes such as patronage, iconography and technique. Students will acquire an understanding of what constitutes the Florentine renaissance, but by also studying Flanders will be encouraged to question the standard vi ew of Florence's central position in the art of the fifteenth century. Approximately 50% of classes will take place in London's galleries, taking advantage of the unparalleled collections of the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and an additional 3-day visit to Bruges and Ghent, located in Belgium, will offer the opportunity to study Flemish painting in situ.