The course aims to provide students with the methodological, critical and historiographical tools to understand the history of art from the mid-19th century to the 1980s. The lectures aim at the acquisition of historical and philological skills based on the interpretation of the works and on the reconstruction of contexts and their relationships (places of production and use, public and taste, exhibition events and the art system). Alongside the analysis of works, currents and artistic movements, particular attention will be given to the historical-cultural context of production and use of the works, with an additional focus on on the themes of the public and the art system.

The course addresses the main artistic currents and personalities from the second half of the nineteenth century to the 1980s against the backdrop of the broader historical context. It will be divided into the following chronological and thematic subjects: 

- From Naturalism to Realism: the reconfiguration of the art system - the public, magazines, the salon.

- Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Symbolism. 

- The historical avant-gardes of the early twentieth century. 

- The years between the two wars: the crisis of the avant-garde and the return to order. 

- The Neo-avant-gardes of the second half of the twentieth century. 

- Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art. 

- Arte Povera. Conceptual art (Body / Minimal / Land Art). Video art. The Eighties: the forms of Postmodernism.

Knowledge and ability to understand: students are expected to demonstrate a good basic knowledge of the outlines of contemporary art history and a good understanding of the contexts of productions of artworks (places of production and the art system, audience and taste, exhibition events and museum systems).
Applied knowledge and understanding: students are expected to develop analytical abilities to recognize and describe artworks and to place them within the correct historical-cultural frame.
Autonomy of judgement:  students are expected to demonstrate to have acquired the basic critical skills necessary for the determination of autonomous judgements.

Communication skills: students are expected to demonstrate a good knowledge and use of a specific lexicon for the history of contemporary art.

Ability to learn: students are expected to develop their ability to learn in a way that will allow them to continue their studies autonomously.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Three lessons will be taught by Professor Oliver I. Botar in co-presence with Prof. Castellani.

Teaching

In-class lessons

Attendance

Attendance is highly recommended.

Course books

Textbooks:

- Dal Barocco all’Impressionismo. (vol. IV) Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, a cura di S. Settis e T. Montanari, Mondadori Education - Einaudi Scuola, Milano 2019, pp. 386-437.

- Dal Postimpressionismo al contemporaneo (vol. V), in Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, testi di Fabio Belloni,  a cura di S. Settis e T. Montanari, Mondadori Education - Einaudi Scuola, Milano 2019.

Assessment

A student is considered to be attending if he/she has attended at least 25 hours of lessons, corresponding to 70% of the total hours. The final evaluation will be based on the following criteria

a) punctuality and attendance at lessons, class participation: 30% (9/30 of the final grade)

b) assessment through the final test: 70% (21/30 of the final grade). Assessment will take place through an oral exam. This test will consist in the recognition of three works of art among those studied in class or present in the textbooks  (7 + 7 + 7 = 21/30). For each image, starting from the recognition of the author, the title, the year and the technique of execution, the student must be able to describe the work using appropriate specific terminology and to place it in the correct historical and cultural context. Students are also invited to establish connections and comparisons between works, styles and materials.

ATTENTION: Autumn session 2022-23. The second date of the autumn session for the academic year 2022-2023, due to institutional commitments related to research, will be held in written form and in person. This test will consist of the recognition of three works of art among those studied in class or present in the textbooks. For each image, starting from the recognition of the author, the title, the year and the technique of execution, the student must be able to describe the work using appropriate specific terminology and to place it in the correct historical and cultural context. Students are also invited to establish connections and comparisons between works, styles and materials. The test will last 90 minutes.

Disabilità e DSA

Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.

A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.

Teaching

Individual study.

Course books

Textbooks:

- Dal Barocco all’Impressionismo. (vol. IV) Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, a cura di S. Settis e T. Montanari, Mondadori Education - Einaudi Scuola, Milano 2019, pp. 386-437.

- Dal Postimpressionismo al contemporaneo (vol. V), in Arte. Una storia naturale e civile, testi di Fabio Belloni,  a cura di S. Settis e T. Montanari, Mondadori Education - Einaudi Scuola, Milano 2019.

Additional focus:

- Francesco Poli, Il sistema dell'arte contemporanea. Produzione artistica, mercato, musei, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2011.

Denys Riout, "Qu’est-ce que l’art moderne?", Paris: Gallimard, 2000; trad. it. "L'arte del ventesimo secolo. Protagonisti, temi, correnti", Einaudi, Torino 2002; 

Francesco Poli, Il sistema dell'arte contemporanea. Produzione artistica, mercato, musei, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2011.

Assessment

A student is considered a non-attending student if he/she has attended less than 25 hours of lessons, corresponding to 70 per cent of the total number of hours. The final evaluation will be based on the following criteria:

a) assessment through the final test: 70% (21/30 of the final grade). Assessment will take place through an oral exam based on the verification of the learning of the textbooks. This test will consist in the recognition of three works of art among those present in the textbooks  (7 + 7 + 7 = 21/30). For each image, starting from the recognition of the author, the title, the year and the technique of execution, the student must be able to describe the work using appropriate specific terminology and to place it in the correct historical and cultural context. Students are also invited to establish connections and comparisons between works, styles and materials.

b) Two open questions on the supplementary texts (9/30 of the final grade): Denys Riout, "Qu’est-ce que l’art moderne?", Paris: Gallimard, 2000; trad. it. "L'arte del ventesimo secolo. Protagonisti, temi, correnti", Einaudi, Torino 2002; Francesco Poli, Il sistema dell'arte contemporanea. Produzione artistica, mercato, musei, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2011.

ATTENTION: Autumn session 2022-23. The second date of the autumn session for the academic year 2022-2023, due to institutional commitments related to research, will be held in written form and in person. This test will consist of the recognition of three works of art among those studied in class in the textbooks and one open question on the supplementary texts. For each image, starting from the recognition of the author, the title, the year and the technique of execution, the student must be able to describe the work using appropriate specific terminology and to place it in the correct historical and cultural context. Students are also invited to establish connections and comparisons between works, styles and materials. The test will last 90 minutes.

Disabilità e DSA

Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.

A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.