HISTORY OF BYZANTINE ART

The course aims to illustrate the development of Byzantine art, from the foundation to the fall of Constantinople. The various forms of the Byzantine artistic language will be analyzed, highlighting the technical, stylistic and iconographic aspects of emblematic works of art. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between art, patronage and society.

According to the descriptors of Dublin, at the end of the course students will be able to: know and explain concepts and contents illustrated during the lessons; place Byzantine monuments and artefacts in their appropriate space-time and cultural framework; understand their relations with the Mediterranean productive and social context; describe their iconographic, stylistic, symbolic and material aspects, using correct terminology; make comparisons between similar or different Byzantine works of art in terms of typology, chronology and support.

Lectures will focus on the following topics:

-          The foundation of Constantinople and the genesis of Byzantine art

-          The age of Theodosius the Great

-          The age of Justinian

-          Main lines of stylistic development in Mediterranean Art (3rd-7th century)

-          The Age of Iconoclasm

-          The Cult of Images before and after Iconoclasm

-          The Macedonian Renaissance

-          The age of the Comnenians

-          Byzantium and the West

-          Byzantium and its Neighbours

-          The age of the Paleologians

 1)      A volume to be chosen from:

- N. Asutay-Effenberger – A. Effenberger, Bisanzio. L’Impero dell’arte, Torino, Einaudi, 2019, pp. 5-343.

- E. Concina, Le arti di Bisanzio. Secoli VI-XV, Milano, B. Mondadori, 2002, pp. 35-364.

 

2)      M. Della Valle, Costantinopoli e il suo impero. Arte, architettura, urbanistica nel millennio bizantino, Milano, Jaca Book, 2007, pp. 9-148.

 

3)      E. Kitzinger, Alle origini dell’arte bizantina. Correnti stilistiche, nel mondo mediterraneo dal III al VII secolo, a cura di M. Andaloro, Paolo Cesaretti, Milano, Jaca Book, 2021 (3rd repr.), pp. 5-150.

4)      A volume to be chosen from:

- O. Demus, L’arte bizantina e l’Occidente, Torino, Einaudi, 2008, pp. 3-261.

- B. Pentcheva, Icone e potere. La Madre di Dio a Bisanzio, Milano, Jaca Book, 2021 (3rd repr.), pp. 1-258

 

 

For the specific terminology of Byzantine art: “Glossario”, in E. Concina, Le arti di Bisanzio. Secoli VI-XV, Milano, B. Mondadori, 2002, pp. 393-401.

 

For further insight students could consult: Enciclopedia dell’Arte Medievale (12 voll., Roma: Treccani, 1991-2002 [available on-line].

 

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).

All the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.