HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY ART
STORIA DELL'ARTE CONTEMPORANEA
| A.Y. | Credits |
|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | 8 |
| Lecturer | Office hours for students | |
|---|---|---|
| Emanuela Morganti | After class, days and times to decided, requested in advance by mail (emanuela.morganti@uniurb.it). |
| Teaching in foreign languages |
|---|
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Course with optional materials in a foreign language
English
This course is entirely taught in Italian. Study materials can be provided in the foreign language and the final exam can be taken in the foreign language. |
Assigned to the Degree Course
| Date | Time | Classroom / Location |
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| Date | Time | Classroom / Location |
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Learning Objectives
History of contemporary art course focuses on the acquisition of stylistic, chronological and geographical coordinates of the contemporary age, framing and processing movements and authors from Neoclassicism to nowadays in the major fields (painting, sculpture, illustration, architecture, graphic, performance...). Learning outcomes are: the acquisition of the topics of the course and their communication in a clear and correct shape; adopting the specialized terminology; demonstrate the ability to recognize the contemporary values of artworks and the historical memory of the national and international artistic heritage; demonstrate the ability to promote a local background starting from a masterpiece.
Program
Title: Ebb and flow of the history of contemporary art.
The course is a single learning module. The first lesson introduces the discipline and chronological coordinates, analyses the programme and the assessment. The following lessons lead to the independent study of the subject, both throught art reading exercises and throught their geographical and historical-cultural background. The route winds most of the important periods from Neoclassicism to nowadays (sailing on different styles and artistic languages), according a chronological analysis, with references to the past and the present.
Each lesson will be dedicated to a different focus. For example we will investigated, the relationship between art and matter, spatial isolation, the relationship between art and and music in a gender perspective, or the spacial relationship in architecture...
In addition to lectures, guided tours of permanent collections and temporary exhibitions are planned, and also in-depth work in small groups.
Bridging Courses
Unscheduled.
Teaching Material
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
Supporting Activities
In addition to lectures, seminars, guided tours of permanent collections and temporary exhibitions are planned, and also in-depth work in small groups.
No ongoing assessment activities are planned.
Teaching, Attendance, Course Books and Assessment
- Teaching
The course provides:
1) front lessons supported by ppt, audio and video
2) seminars
3) in-depth studies prepared in small groups
4) presentetion and discussion of in-depth studies
5) guided tours of permanent collections and temporary exhibitions
- Innovative teaching methods
Learning by doing.
- Attendance
Attendance at lectures, seminars and guided tours is not mandatory.
The attendance is recommended to students who don't have previous knowledge in art history (from previous school and/or university courses).
- Course books
1. Lectures and guided tours notes. Lectures images and slides will be available on Moodle from the end of the course => blended.uniurb.it.
2. Knowledge of the authors and movements of contemporary art, from Neoclassicism to nowadays, by studying a book to choose from:
- G. Bora, G. Fiaccadori, A. Negri, I luoghi dell’arte vol. 5 Dall’età neoclassica all’Impressionismo e vol. 6 Nascita e sviluppi dell’arte del XX secolo, Electa-Bruno Mondadori, Milano, 2003 ed edizioni successive;
- L. Beltrame, E. Demartini, L. Tonetti, Il nuovo Arte tra noi vol. 4. Dal Barocco all'Impressionismo e E. Demartini, C. Gatti, E. P. Villa, Il nuovo Arte tra noi vol. 5. Dal Postimpressionismo a oggi, Pearson – Bruno Mondadori, Milano - Torino, 2011;
- G. Dorfles, C. Dalla Costa, M. Ragazzi, Protagonisti e forme dell’Arte vol. 2. Dal Rinascimento all’Impressionismo e Protagonisti e forme dell’Arte vol. 3. Dal Postimpressionismo ad oggi, Atlas, Bergamo, 2013 ed edizioni successive.
- G. Mezzalama, M. Tavola, Arte bene comune vol. 3. Dal Neoclassicismo a oggi, Pearson – Bruno Mondadori, Milano-Torino, 2018.
3. Teaching material made available on Moodle platform from the end of the course =› blended.uniurb.itOr alternatively, for students who don't speak Italian:
1. Lectures and guided tours notes. Lectures images and slides will be available on Moodle from the end of the course => blended.uniurb.it.
2. Kirk Varnedoe, Adam Gopnik, High & low. Modern art and popular culture, New York, The Museum of modern art, 1990. Only pages 15 - 365.
The exhibition catalogue is available on https://assets.moma.org/documents/moma_catalogue_1764_300062990.pdf3. Teaching material made available on Moodle platform from the end of the course =› blended.uniurb.it
- Assessment
Written test. Closed, semi open and open questions.
- Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)
Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.
To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.
Additional Information for Non-Attending Students
- Teaching
Attendance at lectures, seminars and guided tours is not mandatory.
Non-attending students are invited to contact the teacher through the personal mail (emanuela.morganti@uniurb.it) to clarify doubts about the programme, the assessment and procedures.
Non-attending students can obviously take part in seminars and guided tours, first send a request to the teacher.
- Attendance
Attendance at lectures, seminars and guided tours is not mandatory.
Non-attending students are required to bring the current academic program (2025/26).
- Course books
1. Knowledge of the authors and movements of contemporary art, from Neoclassicism to nowadays, by studying a book to choose from:
- G. Bora, G. Fiaccadori, A. Negri, I luoghi dell’arte vol. 5 Dall’età neoclassica all’Impressionismo e vol. 6 Nascita e sviluppi dell’arte del XX secolo, Electa-Bruno Mondadori, Milano, 2003 ed edizioni successive;
- L. Beltrame, E. Demartini, L. Tonetti, Il nuovo Arte tra noi vol. 4. Dal Barocco all'Impressionismo e E. Demartini, C. Gatti, E. P. Villa, Il nuovo Arte tra noi vol. 5. Dal Postimpressionismo a oggi, Pearson – Bruno Mondadori, Milano - Torino, 2011;
- G. Dorfles, C. Dalla Costa, M. Ragazzi, Protagonisti e forme dell’Arte vol. 2. Dal Rinascimento all’Impressionismo e Protagonisti e forme dell’Arte vol. 3. Dal Postimpressionismo ad oggi, Atlas, Bergamo, 2013 ed edizioni successive.
- G. Mezzalama, M. Tavola, Arte bene comune vol. 3. Dal Neoclassicismo a oggi, Pearson – Bruno Mondadori, Milano-Torino, 2018.
2. Teaching material made available on Moodle platform from the end of the course =› blended.uniurb.it3. A book chosen among those indicated:
- G. Briganti, Il viaggiatore disincantato. Brevi viaggi in due secoli d'arte moderna, Torino, Einaudi, 1991.
- G. Mazzotta (a cura di), Seduzioni e miserie del potere visto da sinistra-visto da destra, Mazzotta, Milano, 2003.
- C. Salsi, Pubblicità & Arte. Grafica internazionale dall'affiche alla Pop Art, Milano, Skira, 2007.
- M. Sironi, Ridere dell'arte: l'arte moderna nella grafica satirica europea tra Otto e Novecento, Mimesis, Milano – Udine, 2012.
- C. Ambrosini (a cura di), La collezione dei Verzocchi, Genova, Sagep, 2014.
- G. Neri, Caricature architettoniche. Satira e critica del progetto moderno, Quodlibet, Macerata, 2015.
- E. Morganti, Gabriele Galantara. Satira, editoria e grafica (1892-1937), Pacini Editore, Pisa, 2019.
- G. Ginex, Album del divisionismo. Mais d'abord que sont ces divisionnistes?, Milano, Electa, 2021.
- M. Abramovic, Attraversare i muri un'autobiografia, Milano, Bompiani, 2016 ed edizioni successive.
- S. Maggi, a cura di, La rotaia e il treno. Due secoli di sviluppo, Pisa, Pacini, 2023. Introduzione (pp. 7-14) e sezione III Viaggio con la ferrovia: immagine e progresso (pp.297-404).
Or alternatively, for students who don't speak Italian:
1. Kirk Varnedoe, Adam Gopnik, High & low. Modern art and popular culture, New York, The Museum of modern art, 1990. Only pages 15 - 365.
The exhibition catalogue is available on https://assets.moma.org/documents/moma_catalogue_1764_300062990.pdf2. A book chosen among those indicated:
- Diego Galizzi, Fabrizio Lollini, Murat Palta. Cult Hollywood movies as Ottoman miniatures, Museo civico delle cappuccine, Bagnacavallo 2014 (text both Italian and English).
- Oreste Orvitti, Nicoletta Ossanna Cavadini, Trains between art, graphics and design, Milano, Skira, 2021 (text both Italian and English).
- Marina Abramović, Walk Through Walls. A Memoir, London, Penguin, 2016.
- Angela Madesani, Nicoletta Ossana Cavadini, Lucia Moholy (1894-1989). Between photography and life, Cinisello Balsamo : Silvana Editoriale, 2012.
- Assessment
Written test. Closed, semi open and open questions.
- Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)
Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.
To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.
Notes
Please, periodocally, visit the teaching forum page for any information about lectures, office hours for students, guided tours, programme and exams.
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