Unit METHODOLOGY OF ART HISTORY

Course

Cultural heritage

Study-unit Code

GP005324

Curriculum

Storia dell'arte

Teachers

Laura Teza (Codocenza)
Laura Teza (Codocenza)

Hours

12 ore (Codocenza) - Laura Teza
30 ore (Codocenza) - Laura Teza

CFU

Course Regulation

Coorte 2024

Offered

2025/26

Learning activities

Caratterizzante

Area

Discipline relative ai beni culturali

Academic discipline

L-ART/02

Type of study-unit

Opzionale (Optional)

Type of learning activities

Attività formativa monodisciplinare

Language of instruction

Italian

Contents

Analysis of the main investigative methodologies currently used in the interpretation of a work of art (formalistic, sociological, iconological methods). Acquisition of the main investigative methodologies aimed at writing the thesis. Knowledge of the main digital research tools and the main bibliographic citation criteria. Knowledge of the main professional profiles, both established and emerging, characterizing the world of cultural heritage: seminar meetings with the various professionals that can be developed in the working context of cultural heritage.

Reference texts

One of the following two texts of your choice: Gianni Carlo Sciolla, Studiare l'arte. Metodo, analisi e interpretazione delle opere e degli artisti, Torino, Utet, 2010. F. Veratelli - J. Habcy,Didattica della storia dell'arte, Milano, Mondadori 2020 Bibliography on the two case studies concerning the cycle of the Miracles of San Bernardino now at the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria and The Gonfalon of the SS. Trinità by Raphael now at the Pinacoteca Comunale of Città di Castello: On the cycle of the Miracles: The teacher's ppt related to the Cycle of Miracles will be uploaded to Unistudium at the end of the lessons. (Any optional bibliography will be communicated during the lessons). Banner of the Holy Trinity: Entries on the banner of the Holy Trinity, in Raffaello giovane a Città di Castello e il suo sguardo, catalogo della mostra (Città di Castello, Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera, 30 ottobre 2021 – 9 gennaio 2022), a cura di M. Mercalli e L. Teza, Milano, SilvanaEditoriale, 2021, pp. 192-201. • L. Teza, Un percorso agostiniano per l’esordio di Raffaello a Città di Castello e i suoi echi seicenteschi, in “Predella. Journal of Visual Arts”, 49, 2021, pp. 37-59. • L. Teza, La scelta di Città di Castello. Raffaello la peste e tre ostaggi tifernati a Urbino, in Raffaello giovane a Città di Castello e il suo sguardo, catalogo della mostra (Città di Castello, Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera, 30 ottobre 2021 – 9 gennaio 2022), a cura di M. Mercalli e L. Teza, Milano, SilvanaEditoriale, 2021, pp. 47-55. The teacher's ppt related to the two case studies will be uploaded to Unistudium at the end of the lessons. Student Assignment: Preparation of an educational PowerPoint presentation related to a chosen work of art, aimed at a specific audience selected by the student (elementary, intermediate, advanced level). Depending on the chosen level, the PowerPoint must be clear, accurate, educationally effective, and balanced between visual and explanatory text. Regardless of the chosen level, a bibliography and a sitography of the consulted sources is required.

Educational objectives

Educational objectives The aim is to provide tools to achieve greater awareness in the critical approach to the subject, in the choice of the most suitable and pertinent critical tools for the specific nature of each artifact. Students will know the main theoretical orientations, tools and application technologies for the study, evaluation, conservation and enhancement of material and immaterial cultural heritage. This methodological panorama will be proposed in compliance with the cultural inclinations developed by students in their general course of study. Knowledge Develop knowledge of the main methodologies of analysis and interpretation of works of art that will be integrated by a subsequent disciplinary learning of History of Art Criticism, scheduled for the third year of the course. Considering the elementary or at least very diversified level of knowledge of the history of art by the students of the course, resulting from their varied origins from the training institutes of the secondary school as well as from the placement of the subject in the second year of the course, we approach the subject in a simple and progressive way, exposing the complexity of the case study as a concrete and gradual exemplification of the various research approaches. We intend to underline the role of the didactic approach to the case study, aimed at a multifaceted critical reading. Skills: Knowing how to frame the works with greater critical awareness, as a result of a university-level learning process, which allows for an in-depth study of authors, works and phenomena in relation to the original historical context, the liturgical environment, subsequent exhibition contexts, public and critical reception, the role of patrons and collectors. Skills: Ability to understand and reflect on the complexity of the historical-artistic phenomena examined, with depth adequate to the maturity of a university student and within the limits set by a general knowledge of the same. Ability to understand and express the problematic and hypothetical nature of the proposed reconstructions. The course contributes to the development of various communication skills: to the acquisition of a specialized and technical vocabulary, usually never learned before, which restores the specificity of the subject; to a critical argumentative ability that highlights the particular critical physiognomy of the work; to a narrative expression ability, correct but targeted and engaging, which can capture the attention of a wider audience, adapting to the new forms of social, digital and television communication.

Prerequisites

A basic understanding of the historical and cultural development of art history in Italy. No specific background is required, as the discipline is entirely new and absent from the secondary school curriculum.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons with a strong interactive dynamic and frequent involvement of students. Guided seminar visits to the main cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries. Meetings and conferences with personalities from the cultural heritage sector such as directors of museums and archives, superintendents, regional managers. Students with disabilities and/or specific learning disabilities (DSA), after consulting with the instructor, may request educational materials in accessible formats (presentations, handouts, exercise sheets), which will be provided in advance if necessary, as well as the use of other technological aids to facilitate the study phase. For general information, please refer to the University Services at the page https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Department Coordinator (Professor A. Di Pilla).

Other information

Office hours: Pending receipt of the annual class schedule, office hours are set for Wednesdays from 3 to 5 PM. Please contact the instructor via email to schedule an appointment.

Learning verification modality

Oral exam, lasting approximately 20-25 minutes, consisting of a discussion based on assigned bibliography and a direct presentation using the educational PowerPoint, which must be sent to the instructor via email several days in advance. The assessment will focus on: argumentative rigor, completeness and appropriateness of language, depth of analysis, and the ability to contextualize artists and artworks, reflecting the critical complexity of the artworks. Students with disabilities and/or specific learning disabilities (DSA) who have been duly accredited through SOL and have access to University services may benefit from compensatory tools, dispensatory measures, and inclusive technologies as provided by regulations. These accommodations should be requested and agreed upon with the instructor well in advance of assessments. For more information, please refer to the page https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Department Disability and DSA Coordinator (Professor Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it).

Extended program

The course intends to offer some methodological paths of approach to the work of art, retracing its different historical genesis, critical evolution, and their interaction with other parallel disciplinary sectors, such as philosophical, sociological and scientific disciplines, which have strongly influenced its development and prospects. The direct examination of some case studies will be addressed, such as the Cycle of Miracles of San Bernardino, one of the most extraordinary and fascinating works in the history of the Italian Renaissance. The eight tablets with the Miracles were part of a niche whose structure, consistency, real location, possible iconographic meaning, and a more detailed reading of the various pictorial hands that contributed to making it so extraordinary have only recently been ascertained. Due to its complexity, it can be considered an ideal case study to make it the object of multidisciplinary approaches that can bring into focus its original nature as an altar machine, prematurely dismembered. One of Raphael's first works, particularly debated by ancient and contemporary historiography, the gonfalon of the SS. Trinità, will then be examined. Some lessons in research teaching will be held, in order to acquire familiarity with the digital and traditional investigation tools useful for drafting a bibliography and structuring one's own field of investigation. This path, punctuated by lessons and practical seminars with the participation of specialized staff in Library Science, will be modeled in view of the student's preparation for writing a degree thesis. Guided visits will also be organized for this purpose at the main cultural institutions and research centers responsible for the conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage such as the State Archives and Historical Libraries. Furthermore, to introduce the student to the various professional skills that a degree in Cultural Heritage allows to develop, meetings and conferences will be organized with the major personalities of the institutions responsible for the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage in Umbria such as the Superintendence, National and Civic Museums, Umbria Region.

Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile

Knowledge and engagement in personalized and immersive cultural environments and experiences enhance our sense of well-being and ability to cope with stress, introducing the new concept of cultural welfare.

4 Quality education
5 Gender equality
11 Sustainable cities and communities