WS3410 Art, Gender and the Body in Medieval and Renaissance Italy
The body is central to medieval Christianity and the development of renaissance humanism. This module will examine how bodies and genders were perceived and represented Florentine art from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period.
- Module Organisers:
- Dr Catherine Lawless
- Duration:
- Mot available in 2019/20
- Contact Hours:
- 1 x 2 hour seminar per week
- Weighting:
- 10 + 10 ECTS
- Asessment:
- Continuous assessment (30%) and two Summer examinations (70%)
We will examine how femininities and masculinities are constructed and represented in religious and secular spaces. We will look at some key trends in late medieval and Renaissance religious iconography, analyse the relationship between civic and religious cultures through the metaphor and lived reality of the body, and discuss the relationships between civic humanism, religious belief and practice, and artistic patronage.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon the successful completion of this module students should be able to:
- Identify the key concepts involving gender, the body ad representation in the Italian Renaissance
- Explain the main trends in late medieval and Renaissance religious and secular iconography
- Analyse the relationship between civic and religious cultures
- Determine the ways in which artists of the Renaissance depicted the body.
- Discuss the limitations and opportunities afforded to women in the Italian Renaissance.
- Differentiate the primary and secondary sources on gender of the Italian Renaissance.