OVERVIEW

The course analyses the literary and theological sources for icons and connects them with the elaboration of iconographic schemas and the artistic language of icons.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to give students the following knowledge, competencies and abilities: - through the direct reading of texts, knowledge of the historical phases and theological arguments for and against icon worship; - ability to recognise the influxes of the debate on icons in artistic techniques and iconographic schemas; - ability to compare analogies and differences between western and eastern medieval artistic iconographic schemas 

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning outcomes in detail: see Learning outcomes.

It is expected that, at the end of the attendance and the study of the related program, students will know:

contextualizing the literary and theological sources on the icon in the literary genre of belonging and in the age of their composition;

connect the sources to the debate phases on the icon;

identify the connections between icon theology and the main iconographic schemes.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures with some PowerPoint/pdf presentations.

Seminar on the "Sacro Volto" of Genoa by G. Ameri.

Highly recommended to attend classes. Please check aul@web to retrieve material.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Programme for students taking the course for 6 cfu

The theological debate on icons and its repercussions on subjects, schemas and depiction techniques.

The "Sacro Volto" of Genoa.

Programme for students taking the course for 9 cfu

The theological debate on icons and its repercussions on subjects, schemas and depiction techniques.
The main iconographic schemas.
The manual of Dionisio da Furnà

The "Sacro Volto" of Genoa.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

E. Balicka-Witakowska, The Holy Face of Edessa on the Frame of the Volto Santo of Genoa: the Literary and Pictorial Sources, in J. O. Rosenqvist (ed.), Interaction and Isolation in Late Byzantine Culture. Papers Read at a Colloquium Held at the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, 1-5 December, 1999, Uppsala 2004, pp. 100-132.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

PIA CAROLLA (President)

AGNESE FONTANA

LIA RAFFAELLA CRESCI (Substitute)

FRANCESCA GAZZANO (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

February 17th 2020

Class schedule

LITERARY AND THEOLOGICAL SOURCES FOR THE ICON

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Oral exam: reading and commenting historiographical and theological texts presented during lectures to assess students’ capacity to critically place texts within the theological debate on icons; analysis of iconographic schemas to assess students’ capacity to identify the relationship between figurative language and theological themes.

To pass students must be able to identify the main themes in the theological debate on icons and their connections with iconographic schemas.

To attain excellence students must be able to precisely identify and discuss the multiple connections between the theological dimension of the debate (in which the analytical reading of sources is immersed) and the definition of iconographic schemas. 

Exam schedule