Details

ONLINE HISTORY COURSE
“Living with Art in Renaissance Venice” Part 1

Course Description:

Art was everywhere in Renaissance Venice: in the streets and piazzas, in homes, in churches, and even in houses of ill-repute.  The city itself became a work of art.

In this two-part course learn how Venetians used art to shape their city and their lives and how they presented themselves to the world at large.

The course will explore painting, sculpture, and architecture from the thirteenth through the sixteenth centuries.  Rather than surveying this material chronologically or by artist, class sessions will focus on particular places that were defined and enlivened by art and architecture.  Part One will look at art 1. In Piazza, 2. In Church, and 3. In the Act (art and architecture for sex workers); Part Two will examine art 4. At Home, 5. In the Neighborhood, and 6. In Seclusion (monasteries and the Ghetto).

Virtual Classroom: Full access to an online educational platform with videos of recordings, syllabus and readings.

Location: LIVE INTERACTIVE ON-LINE ART HISTORY LECTURES

Optional Readings:
Information will be provided 2 weeks before the start of the course.

Complete syllabus will be provided 2 weeks before the start of the course.

• ALL LECTURES WILL BE RECORDED AND AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING AT YOUR CONVENIENCE IN OUR VIDEO LIBRARY FOR TWO WEEKS AFTER THE COURSE HAS ENDED.

Schedule

LECTURE 1 – In Piazza: Gentile Bellini, Procession in St. Mark’s Square

-Monday, January 5

Enter Venice as your sailing ship would have done in the Renaissance. Disembark in front of the Doge’s Palace and learn what Venetians wanted you to think about their city by examining the sculpture and mosaics of the exterior of their city hall and St. Mark’s basilica. Come to appreciate how the surrounding spaces came alive with civic processions and celebrations, as well as with the administration of justice.

LECTURE 2 – In Church: Titian, Pesaro Altarpiece

-Monday, January 12

Visit Venice’s most prestigious churches, appreciating their spaces, decorations, and the ceremonies that brought them alive.  Pay particular attention to the mosaics inside St. Mark’s basilica, altarpieces by Titian at the Frari, and the works of Veronese at San Giorgio.

LECTURE 3 – In the Act: A Courtesan in Her Bedroom with an Admirer, 1575

-Monday, January 19

Take a peak at the shadowy but luxurious world of the Venetian courtesan.  See how she dressed and decorated her home, how she conducted herself with noble patrons and civic authorities, and how she was portrayed in sensuous, erotic imagery.

Instructor

Dr. Gary M. Radke is Professor Emeritus of Art History at Syracuse University, where he directed the Florence Graduate Program in Renaissance Art and was named Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence. His publications on Italian medieval and Renaissance art range from a book on the thirteenth-century papal palace in Viterbo to essays on the patronage of nuns in Renaissance Venice. He curated major loan exhibitions throughout the United States on Italian Renaissance sculptors Lorenzo Ghiberti, Luca della Robbia, Andrea del Verrocchio, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. His widely distributed college textbook on Italian Renaissance art, co-authored with John Paoletti, appeared in four editions and in Spanish and Chinese translations. Gary is past president of the Italian Art Society and a fellow of the American Academy in Rome.

In retirement Professor Radke and his wife Nancy have settled into an historic home in Savannah, Georgia, where Gary is now a trustee of the Historic Savannah Foundation and chair of its Architectural Review Committee. He continues to write scholarly articles and enjoys lecturing in Italy for various cultural groups.