Modern Art in Italy

3 units

This course traces the history of modern art from the Englightenment to the present, with a special focus on Italian responses to the major movements of modernism, and to the place of Italy in the careers of significant travelling artists. We begin with the age of archaeological discoveries, the rise of Neoclassicism, and the international art academies based in Rome (Canova, David, Ingres). We consider the rise of landscape painting, watercolor practice, and the image of the pastoral in the romantic work of European and American artists travelling to Italy (Jones, Turner, Cole, Hosmer). Travelling artists working in Venice (Manet, Whistler, Monet) and Florence (Degas) use Italy to fuel both a dialogue with art history, and to explore new avenues. We examine Symbolism through the Italian idiom (Previati and Rosso) and consider the impact of Cubism on Futurism in the years before the war. We also study the fate of art under fascism; the post-war conceptual work of Manzoni and Arte Povera; and the lives of expatriate American artists and collectors living in Italy (Twombly; Peggy Guggenheim) We conclude with contemporary trends, considering Italy's place in the international art world. Complemented by guest speakers on Italian modernism, and field trips to the St. Louis Art Museum. No prerequisite, although L01 112E Introduction to Western Art is recommended.. Priority for enrollment in this course will be given to students in the School of Art who are going on the Florence Study Abroad program in Spring 2006. This course will prepare students for viewing collections of modern art in Italian collections. For School of Art students, this course substitutes for the required course L01 211, Introduction to Modern Art. Remaining spaces in the class are open to students from Arts and Sciences, and the School of Architecture.