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

For the aims, see above. Learning outcomes in detail:

it is expected that, at the end of the attendance and after the study of the related program, students will be able

• to contextualize the literary and theological sources on the icon in time, space and literary genre they belong to;
• to connect the sources to the debate phases on the icon;
• to identify the connections between icon theology and the main iconographic schemes.

TEACHING METHODS

Depending on the general guidelines of the University of Genoa, classes will be in person and lessons will be broadcasted via streaming as well.  Please use the code sbes5nj to access the dedicated Microsoft Teams channel, namely "Fonti per l'icona 2022".

Lessons with PowerPoint/pdf presentations and interactive platforms. Series of seminars by experts in the field.

Attending the lessons is highly recommended.

It is requested to subscribe on Aulaweb as well, in order to get information, didactic material, notices, bibliography and so on.

Students who can attend no lessons at all are warmly invited to contact the professor at the beginning of the course via email.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

“Byzantium @ Genoa: the Pallium of st. Lawrence”

Programme for students taking the course for 6 cfu

The theological debate on icons and the consequences on subjects, schemas and depiction techniques: the Holy Face of Christ, the Cross and the Sacred Icons.

The Pallium of st. Lawrence, given by the emperor Michael VIII Palaeologos to the city of Genoa in 1261, its iconography and the related political implications.  

<https://www.museidigenova.it/en/textile-manufacture-court-empire-nicaea-pallium-san-lorenzo>

A series of seminars by experts in the field (tbd).

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Students may ask for a wholly English bibliography: please email as soon as possible pia.carolla@unige.it.

Bibliography for students who take the course for 6 cfu:

P.A. FLORENSKIJ, Le porte regali, Milano, Adelphi, 1977.

H. BELTING, Il culto delle immagini, Roma, Carocci Editore, 2001.

L. USPENSKIJ & V. LOSSKIJ, Il senso delle icone, Milano, Jaca Book, 2007.

A.Paribeni, Focus sul pallio di San Lorenzo, in M. Gianandrea, Fr. Gangemi, C. Costantini (a cura di), Il potere dell’arte nel Medioevo. Studi in onore di Mario D’Onofrio, Roma 2014, pp. 299-311.

Fr. Monticini, Caduta e recupero. La crisi di età paleologa tra Umanesimo e mistica, Paris 2021.

P.A. FLORENSKIJ, La prospettiva rovesciata, Milano, Adelphi, 2020.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

PIA CAROLLA (President)

FRANCESCA GAZZANO

LIA RAFFAELLA CRESCI (Substitute)

AGNESE FONTANA (Substitute)

ARIANNA MAGNOLO (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

17th February 2022, room 7, via Balbi 2.

Class schedule

LITERARY AND THEOLOGICAL SOURCES FOR THE ICON

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Oral exam: students will be asked (i) to read, explain and comment on the theological and historical sources about icons and iconoclasm in order to assess their competences to put texts and discussions into context; (ii) to analyze iconographic schemes in order to assess their capacity to connect theological themes and visual art(ifact)s.

Minimum 'pass' requirements for the oral exam are: (a) identifying the main themes in the theological debate on icons; (b) tracing their connections with iconographic schemes.

'Excellence' requirements are: identifying and discussing the multiple connections among the theological debate, the analytical reading of the selected sources and the definition of the most relevant iconographic schemes.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Please contact the professor for any further information in English.