OVERVIEW

The course of History of Medieval Art aims to offer a concise but complete picture of the artistic production in the Italian, European and Mediterranean area from the beginning of the fourth to the early fifteenth century (about 313-1400), that is, from the age of Constantine to the international Gothic included.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The "Medieval Art History" course aims to provide a historical overview of the arts of Western and Byzantine Europe between the Paleochristian age and the early fifteenth century.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Medieval Art History course aims to provide an overview of artistic production in the area of Western Europe and Byzantium from the beginning of the 4th to the early 15th century (ca. 313-1400), that is, from the age of Constantine to the International Gothic period included, with extensive references to the production of other civilizations, such as the Islamic, which from the 7th century CE emerged on the Mediterranean scene.

Primary educational objectives of the course are:

to acquaint students with the characters, typical and specific functions of artistic production during the centuries that are defined as the "Middle Ages."

to make them understand the role - specific, irreplaceable and in each period peculiar - that such production played, also as an instrument of communication and symbolic domination, in the individual periods and geographical areas indicated above, as well as its relationship with other aspects of political and social dialectics, culture, mentalities and religious beliefs and practices.

In addition to such knowledge, the course also aims to promote in students individual methodological skills to be applied consciously and critically in order to: analyze and discuss, by decoding them, the messages conveyed by the work of art; read the material characteristics, iconographic and stylistic techniques of the most varied medieval artistic artifacts.

All with the general cultural aim of bringing each student to an autonomy of judgment that enables him or her to understand such artifacts as documents of history and cutture and as instruments of communication of complex and multifaceted social, political and institutional arrangements.

The aim of the course is also to broaden, by stimulating and specializing them, the skills of presentation and communication of content, so as to support and encourage the continuation of the course of study in higher levels and, eventually, in the field of research.

More specifically, the student should be able to:

    situate works, phenomena and artists in a correct chronological scan, linking artistic artifacts to the historical context and society in which they were produced;
    expound with critical awareness the topics covered in the study texts, during face-to-face lectures and lectures on the territory (in the case of attending students) or in supplementary readings (in the case of non-attending students);
    emphasize possession of the critical tools necessary for the analysis of images relevant to the course;
    apply the acquired theoretical knowledge to concrete case studies.

In the case of the 6 cfu exam, the expected learning outcomes refer to the chronological span indicated in the relevant exam syllabus, from the early 4th to the beginning of the 13th century, a period that extends to the early 14th century for the 9 cfu exam. The 12 cfu exam extends to the early fifteenth century, .

At the end of the course, the student will

- will have the basic skills in medieval art history useful for entering master's degree classes in archaeology, philology, history and art history.

These outcomes relate to the 6 cfu teaching. Additional learning outcomes, for those taking the 9 or 12 cfu teaching, will consist of an increasing (9 to 12 cfu) ability to analyze, contextualize and understand key aspects and phenomena of the periods covered.

PREREQUISITES

Basic notions of Euro-Mediterranean medieval history, history of literature and philosophy are required as prerequisites within the limits set by upper secondary school programs

TEACHING METHODS

Classes are held in person. Attendance, although not mandatory, is strongly recommended. Students who attend lectures in presence are considered to be attending.

The powerpoints projected by the lecturer in class will be made available to students via Aulaweb

All students (including non-attending students), in order to be constantly informed about lectures, workshops, educational trips, conferences and other cultural initiatives relevant to the specific training purposes of the Course, MUST subscribe to Aulaweb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Programme for students using the teaching for 6 cfu

1. Early Christian art: monuments and artefacts. Rome, Milan, Ravenna
2. Longobard Age Art
3. Art of the Carolingian Times
4. Art of the Ottonian Times
5. Mediterranean civilizations: Byzantium and Islam
6. Italy and Europe between the 11th and 12th centuries: monasteries, pilgrimages, roads
7. Arts of the Romanesque Age in Europe
8. Architecture, sculpture and cities in Italy in the 12th century
9. Arts of the Romanesque Ages in Italy
10. The «Opus francigenum» in Europe
     

Programme for students using the teaching for 9 cfu

1. Early Christian art: monuments and artefacts. Rome, Milan, Ravenna
2. Longobard Age Art
3. Art of the Carolingian Times
4. Art of the Ottonian Times
5. Mediterranean civilizations: Byzantium and Islam
6. Italy and Europe between the 11th and 12th centuries: monasteries, pilgrimages, roads
7. Arts of the Romanesque Age in Europe
8. Architecture, sculpture and cities in Italy in the 12th century
9. Arts of the Romanesque Ages in Italy
10. The «Opus francigenum» in Europe
11. The Cistercians, the Mendicant orders and the reception of the «opus francigenum» in Italy
12. Frederick II and southern Italy
13. Nicola and Giovanni Pisano
14. Arnolfo di Cambio
15. Thirteenth-Century Painting in Italy
16. Cimabue
17. The ''cantiere'' of Assisi
18. Giotto di Bondone

Programme for students using the teaching for 12 cfu

1. Early Christian art: monuments and artefacts. Rome, Milan, Ravenna
2. Longobard Age Art
3. Art of the Carolingian Times
4. Art of the Ottonian Times
5. Mediterranean civilizations: Byzantium and Islam
6. Italy and Europe between the 11th and 12th centuries: monasteries, pilgrimages, roads
7. Arts of the Romanesque Age in Europe
8. Architecture, sculpture and cities in Italy in the 12th century
9. Arts of the Romanesque Ages in Italy
10. The «Opus francigenum» in Europe
11. The Cistercians, the Mendicant orders and the reception of the «opus francigenum» in Italy
12. Frederick II and southern Italy
13. Nicola and Giovanni Pisano
14. Arnolfo di Cambio
15. Thirteenth-Century Painting in Italy
16. Cimabue
17. The ''cantiere'' of Assisi
18. Giotto di Bondone
19. Sienese Painting (Duccio di Buoninsegna, Simone Martini, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti)
20. The figure of the artist in the Middle Ages
21. Centres of the ''gothic'' art: Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in Italy, 13th-14th centuries
22. Avignon and the papal Curia
23. European centres of the «international gothic» art
24. The «international gothic» art in Italy

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Students may choose one of the following textbooks:

Antonio PINELLI, Le ragioni della bellezza. 2. Dalla Tarda Antichità a Giotto, Loescher Editore, Torino 2012 (EDIZIONE ROSSA); those who attend for 12 cfu must complete the readings with Elda CERCHIARI, Pierluigi DE VECCHI, Arte nel tempo, Bompiani, Milan 1991 (and subsequent editions), 2nd volume, pp. 2-45.

Elda CERCHIARI, Pierluigi DE VECCHI, Arte nel tempo, Milan, Bompiani, 1991 (and subsequent editions), 1st volume, pp. 240-400; 2nd volume, pp. 2-45.

Bibliography for 6 cfu

The powerpoints presented in class; the textbook in the parts corresponding to the 6 cfu program.

Bibliography for 9 cfu

a) attending students: the powerpoints presented in class; the textbook in the parts corresponding to the 9 cfu program.

Additionally, it is required the reading of the following text:

C. Di Fabio, G, Ameri, F. Girelli, Giovanni Pisano, Art e Dossier n. 376, Giunti, Firenze 2020

b) non attending students: the powerpoints presented in class; the textbook in the parts corresponding to the 9 cfu program.

Additionally, it is required the reading of the following texts:

C. Di Fabio, G, Ameri, F. Girelli, Giovanni Pisano, Art e Dossier n. 376, Giunti, Firenze 2020

Two chapters from one or more of the following texts:

Arte medievale in Italia. Spazi e linguaggi visivi. Secoli V-X, a cura di S. Romano, Carocci, Roma 2025.

Arte medievale in Italia. Il “romanico“. Secoli XI-XII, a cura di S. Romano, Carocci, Roma 2025.

E. Castelnuovo, Arte delle città, arte delle corti, Einaudi, Torino 2009

M. Tomasi, L’arte del Trecento in Europa, Einaudi, Torino 2012

M. Della Valle, Costantinopoli e il suo impero. Arte, architettura, urbanistica nel millennio bizantino, Jaca Book, Milano 2024. 

Bibliography for 12 cfu

a) attending students: the powerpoints presented in class; the textbook in the parts corresponding to the 12 cfu program.

Additionally, it is required the reading of the following text:

C. Di Fabio, G, Ameri, F. Girelli, Giovanni Pisano, Art e Dossier n. 376, Giunti, Firenze 2020

Three chapters from one or more of the following texts:

Arte medievale in Italia. Spazi e linguaggi visivi. Secoli V-X, a cura di S. Romano, Carocci, Roma 2025.

Arte medievale in Italia. Il “romanico“. Secoli XI-XII, a cura di S. Romano, Carocci, Roma 2025.

E. Castelnuovo, Arte delle città, arte delle corti, Einaudi, Torino 2009

M. Tomasi, L’arte del Trecento in Europa, Einaudi, Torino 2012

M. Della Valle, Costantinopoli e il suo impero. Arte, architettura, urbanistica nel millennio bizantino, Jaca Book, Milano 2024. 

b) non attending students: the powerpoints presented in class; the textbook in the parts corresponding to the 12 cfu program.

Additionally, it is required the reading of the following texts:

C. Di Fabio, G, Ameri, F. Girelli, Giovanni Pisano, Art e Dossier n. 376, Giunti, Firenze 2020

The reading of an entire book or five chapters from one or more of the following texts:

Arte medievale in Italia. Spazi e linguaggi visivi. Secoli V-X, a cura di S. Romano, Carocci, Roma 2025.

Arte medievale in Italia. Il “romanico“. Secoli XI-XII, a cura di S. Romano, Carocci, Roma 2025.

E. Castelnuovo, Arte delle città, arte delle corti, Einaudi, Torino 2009

M. Tomasi, L’arte del Trecento in Europa, Einaudi, Torino 2012

M. Della Valle, Costantinopoli e il suo impero. Arte, architettura, urbanistica nel millennio bizantino, Jaca Book, Milano 2024. 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First semester: September 22, 2025

Second semester: February 23, 2026

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination is oral, in the form of an interview, and will be held in Italian.

The interview will be conducted in the following ways, from which the candidate must opt

1. in the traditional way, i.e. in one go, at the end of the course.  In this case, the examination will focus on twelve topics from the programme chosen by the candidate himself (the list of which will be handed over to the teacher at the time of the examination)

2. in two solutions, in the first of which the candidate will be examined on the first part of the syllabus (from Constantine to the Ottonian age inclusive) and in the second will be examined on the remaining parts (from the Ottonian age onwards). The final mark will be derived from the mathematical average of the two partial marks obtained.

The examination will be conducted as follows:
o student is first invited to present an argument, a problem, a monument a work of art of his or her choice (within the framework of the programme);

- The board will then invite the student to recognise, identify and chronologically place one or more works of art (from among those available in the manuals and texts in adoption) and/or to deal with a theme, a problem, a concept, a phenomenon, an artefact or a type of artefact, an artist, a field, always within the framework of the programme. The questions proposed to the student will be at least three.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING THE MATERIAL NECESSARY TO TAKE THE EXAMINATION (HANDBOOKS IN ADOPTION AND OTHER TEXTBOOKS, IMAGES AND PWP IN USB KEY)

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam is oral and includes the use of textbook images and those used in class, made available to students.
Evaluation concerns knowledge and skills.

The following will occur:

the ability to respond in compliance with and consistency with the proposed question;

the ability to discuss the contents expressing specific linguistic knowledge;

the specific knowledge of the topics covered;

the ability to analyze images; to refer them to an artist and / or an era and to argue the judgment;

the ability to broaden the analysis by correlating artistic products and historical-cultural phenomena, in the broadest sense of the term.

Based on the degree of achievement of this knowledge and skills, grades above the threshold of sufficiency will be assigned.

Regarding the attribution of the votes:

1. To achieve excellence (grades ranging from 28 to 30 with honors), the candidate must reveal excellent general knowledge, comprehension skills of expression: marked ability to analyze the proposed artifacts, with the ability to establish links also of an interdisciplinary nature; availability and aptitude for discussion and deepening, in-depth and organic vision of problems;

2. an acceptable but predominantly mnemonic knowledge, a superficial analysis and a correct but not always appropriate language will lead to a satisfactory evaluation (good marks from 25 to 27 inclusive) and votes (from 23 to 24);

3. a sometimes incomplete knowledge, a superficial understanding, an intermittent ability to analyze, discuss and place chronologically and historically the proposed artistic documents, simplistic or approximate expression modalities can be evaluated sufficient (18-22);

4. obvious and extended gaps in poor knowledge, understanding, analysis, inappropriate language, lack of reference points regarding the historical-formal location of the works and the topics presented in class will be evaluated negatively.
 

FURTHER INFORMATION

Please note: Each student will have to carry to the exam his/her own manuals and textbooks, as well as his own image-folders in USB flash drive.

Guidance for students with SLD:
 
For students with disabilities or specific learning disabilities (DSA).

Students with disabilities or DSA are reminded that in order to be able to request adaptations in examinations they must first enter their certification on the University website at http://servizionline.unige.it in the ‘Students’ section. The documentation will be checked by the University's Services for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and DSA Sector (https://rubrica.unige.it/strutture/struttura/100111).

Subsequently, well in advance (at least 10 days) of the exam date, an e-mail must be sent to the teacher with whom the exam is to be taken, including in the copy the School's Referring Teacher for the inclusion of students with disabilities and with DSA (elisabetta.colagrossi@unige.it) and the Sector indicated above. The e-mail must specify

- the name of the teaching course
- the date of the call
- the student's surname, first name and roll number
- the compensatory tools and dispensatory measures considered functional
- and required.

The contact person will confirm to the teacher that the applicant has the right to request adaptations during the examination and that these adaptations must be agreed upon with the teacher. The lecturer will respond by stating whether the requested adaptations can be used.

Requests must be sent at least 10 days before the date of the call in order to allow the teacher to assess their content. In particular, in the case of concept maps for the exam (which must be much more concise than the maps used for studying) if the submission does not meet the deadline, there will be no technical time to make any changes.

For further information on the request for services and adaptations, please consult the document:
https://unige.it/sites/unige.it/files/2024-05/Linee%20guida%20per%20la%20richiesta%20di%20servizi%2C%20di%20strumenti%20compensativi%20e_o%20di%20misure%20dispensative%20e%20di%20ausili%20specifici%20Maggio%202024.pdf