This unit enables students to identify key works of painting and sculpture from fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Italy and discuss them in relation to a variety of social determinants. Study of the writings of Alberti and Vasari introduce students to the foundations of art theory and to the origins of art historical language in the Western tradition. Both examination of the fundamental revaluation of self which occurred during the Renaissance and study of the foundations of modern art history aid students' comprehension of subsequent art history and theory, and artistic conventions of the present day. -- Course Website
Instructor: Winthrop Professor Richard Read
Prerequisites: at least one Level 1 humanities unit