Power, Religion, and the Arts

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The course will analyze the relationship between the Italian arts (visual, theatrical and cinematographic) and power, whether political or religious, with a particular focus on censorship. Through a variety of examples ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day, the course will examine the reasons why, and the ways in which, arts have conflicted with power. We will examine well-known cases involving Michelangelo, as well as modern-day cinema censorship and the 'censorship' of women as actresses or artists by the Roman Catholic Church. Conducted in Italian.