Unit HISTORY OF ART CRITICISM (ICONOGRAPHY AND ICONOLOGY)
- Course
- Archaeology and history of art
- Study-unit Code
- A002548
- Curriculum
- Generico
- Teacher
- Alessandra Migliorati
- Teachers
-
- Alessandra Migliorati
- Hours
- 36 ore - Alessandra Migliorati
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2025
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Affine/integrativa
- Area
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- Sector
- L-ART/04
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- The course aims to provide an overview of modern iconological science through familiarity with its major figures and with the iconographic and iconological methodology, applied with examples to the analysis of an artistic work.
- Reference texts
- Core text:
C. Cieri Via, Nei dettagli nascosto. Per una storia del pensiero iconologico, Carocci, Rome, 2009.
Selected passages indicated by the lecturer during class from:
A. Warburg, La rinascita del paganesimo antico, Leipzig-Berlin 1932 (Italian trans.: La Nuova Italia, Milan 2000)
E. Panofsky, Il significato nelle arti visive, Doubleday, Garden City, N.Y. 1955 (Italian trans.: Giulio Einaudi, Turin 1962)
E. Gombrich, A cavallo di un manico di scopa, 1963 (Italian trans.: Einaudi, Turin, 1971)
G. Didi-Huberman, La conoscenza accidentale. Apparizione e sparizione delle immagini, 1998 (Italian trans.: Bollati Boringhieri, Turin, 2011)
G. Didi-Huberman, L’immagine insepolta. Aby Warburg, la memoria dei fantasmi e la storia dell’arte, 2002 (Italian trans.: Bollati Boringhieri, Turin, 2006) - Educational objectives
- The course aims to introduce students to iconographic and iconological studies, providing the methodological foundation for interpreting a work of art in terms of its intrinsic content.
The key knowledge students will acquire includes:
- fundamental tools for analyzing the content of a work of art
- the use of sources and the ability to decode attributes and symbols in order to identify narratives and figures
The main skills enabling the application of this knowledge will be:
- the ability to grasp the symbolic meanings underlying the images
- the ability to engage with the work of art in a conceptually sophisticated manner - Prerequisites
- To successfully complete the course, students must possess general knowledge of archaeology, medieval art history, and modern art history. These prerequisites apply to both attending and non-attending students.
- Teaching methods
- Lectures covering all topics and issues related to the science of iconology
- Projection of slides related to the topics discussed (slides shown during lectures will be available to students on the Unistudiumi platform)
- Study visits - Other information
- To contact: alessandra.migliorati@unipg.it
- Learning verification modality
- The exam consists of a final oral assessment involving a discussion of the topics covered during the course and studied in greater depth using the recommended texts. The assessment aims to verify the level of knowledge acquired and the ability to communicate it methodically and with appropriate language. The duration of the exam varies depending on how the assessment proceeds; it typically begins with a question on a topic of the student's choice.
- Extended program
- The program focuses essentially on the following points:
. Iconography: definition, sources, applications, and examples of iconographic analysis.
. Iconology: definition, key figures (Warburg, Panofsky, Gombrich), a new iconology (Didi-Huberman), and methodological applications illustrated through examples of iconological analysis of works of ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary art. - Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
- 4. Istruzione di qualità; 12. Consumo e produzione responsabili; 15. La vita sulla terra