ARTH 412
Renaissance Art (WI)
1. Catalog Entry
ARTH 412
Renaissance Art
Credit hours (3)
An examination of the rebirth of the visual arts in Europe in the 14th, 15th, and
16th centuries. Each semester will have a different focus: thus one semester will
focus on northern European renaissance art, and another will focus on Italian Renaissance
art. The major media and artists differ for these regions so the content will not
be identical. The course may be repeated with a different focus.
Note(s): Cultural or Behavioral Analysis designated course. Students cannot receive credit for both ART 462 and ARTH 412.
2. Detailed Description of Course
This course fills an art history requirement for students concentrating in art history
and museum studies. Other students may use it as an elective in art history. The traditional
history of the renaissance, for various reasons, has always been the story of great
artists in roughly chronological order with a focus on Italy. But as our methods
of studying history have become more sophisticated and more independent of the Renaissance
鈥渟ense of self,鈥� writers have increasingly turned their attention to the identification
of broader topics (politics, patronage, city states, domestic life) and the role of
the work of art within these contexts. As a result, one question we should try to
answer in this class is this: what does the traditional survey approach (that you
may have experienced in ART215 and 216) leave out? Why has one version of the Renaissance
dominated to the extent that most people do not realize that the work of famous artists
like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci are not standard models for the Renaissance
in other parts of Europe? A bigger and more challenging question will be an attempt
to determine what the Renaissance style is 鈥� if we assume that there was a Renaissance
style, as opposed to a series of individual artist or regional styles.
3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
The class may be taught as a lecture/seminar class or as an asynchronous online class.
Digital reproductions of art works are used in either case and online media are also
used. Students must have access to a laptop or tablet computer and an internet connection.
The online version will include narrated power point presentations, along with the
use of other internet media. The University鈥檚 LMS will be the primary platform for
the online version.
Textbooks, reading materials, and examples of key art works and artists will necessarily
be different depending on the semester focus. When possible and appropriate, visits
to museum exhibitions and guest lecturers will also be used.
By accepting admission to 澳门老奇人论坛, each student makes a commitment to understand,
support, and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations
of academic integrity will not be tolerated. Regardless of the format, this class
will be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code. Students are referred to
the Student Handbook for details.
4. Goals and Objectives of the Course
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to:
1) Critique the 鈥渢raditional鈥� approach to the Renaissance and its origins in the
writings of the Florentine essayist and artist
Giorgio Vasari.
2) Examine the proposition that of the styles in use during the Renaissance, only
one can truly be called a Renaissance
style while others are more conservative continuations of older styles.
3) Identify the formal characteristics of the Italian and/or the Northern European
Renaissance style and its leading
exemplars and their differences from the conservative styles of the period.
4) Recognize the evolution of this style during the three centuries generally
associated with the Renaissance era.
5) Analyze the influence of patronage, gender, and economics in determining the
contributions of individual artists and
shaping the look of Renaissance art.
5. Assessment Measures
The final grade will be based upon a variety of measures. These may include tests/quizzes,
and an oral presentation and/or a short research paper. Power point presentations
may also be required.
6. Other Course Information
If the student has a learning disability recognized by the Disabled Student Services
Office at 澳门老奇人论坛, he or she should advise the professor of the nature
of the disability during the first week of class.
Tape recording of class lectures is not normally permitted unless the student has
a learning disability recognized by 澳门老奇人论坛 and the professor receives
a formal request from the Disabled Resource Office. At his or her discretion, the
professor may allow tape recording under other special circumstances.
For technical problems with the LMS, the student must contact the IT help desk or
the LMS help desk. These difficulties do not serve as an excuse for late or incomplete
work and they cannot be resolved by the instructor. It is the student鈥檚 responsibility
to find the correct source of help.
Review and Approval
June 20, 2015
March 01, 2021