Women of the Renaissance: Artists, Patrons, and Subjects

3 units

This course will examine the varied roles of women in the production of Renaissance art: as makers of art; as commissioners, collectors, and patrons of art; and as subjects of the artistic gaze. In conjunction with the courts of Europe, we will also address women in the arts through a global lens. Using a variety of primary sources, including painting, sculpture, print material, textiles, and archival documents, we will explore both the historical spaces women occupied as well as contemporary scholarship situating women within the history of art. In the process, students will gain a deeper understanding of women's agency in Renaissance art, cultivate tools of art-historical analysis, and hone skills in presenting such analysis in written form.