Time Schedule:
Ann C Huppert
ART H 400
Seattle Campus
Courses on special topics, frequently by visiting faculty, which cannot be offered on a continuing basis. Consult art history office for subjects offered.
Class description
Drawing and Artistic Process in the Italian Renaissance
Drawing has long formed a component of the process of design, but it was only during the Italian Renaissance that it assumed a central role, as a primary means of communication from designer to fabricators and patrons, as well as a medium for conceptualization. The Renaissance was a revolutionary period: new technologies surrounding drawing emerged, such as the development of one-point perspective and the advent of paper in Europe; new types of representations developed, predicated on a new method of design development; and, in the realm of architecture, the designer assumed a new role as a figure distinct from the fabricator.
This course will examine the design processes that arose for artists and architects during the Renaissance, a period when artistic design came to be understood as an intellectual pursuit allied with the aspirations of humanists, when artists in general were attaining a new social status, and when architecture emerged as a profession distinct from other arts.
Through lectures, discussion of assigned readings, and close investigation of drawings understood as both instruments of production and works of art in their own right, we will explore the question of how drawings were used by artists and architects during the Renaissance, focusing on the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy. Students will prepare reading summaries, participate in class discussions, prepare in-class presentations, complete exams, and write a research paper.
Students are expected to have some background in Italian Renaissance art. If you have questions about whether you have sufficient preparation, please contact the instructor prior to enrolling at ahuppert@u.washington.edu.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
