HISTORY OF ITALIAN ART

The course program is comprised of two parts:

• Theoretical lessons, which are held in the school classrooms and are dedicated to introducing students to Italian history and art history, and specifically how those artistic periods correspond to the history of Milan.
• Outdoor lessons, which are held at the end of the course and aim to deepen those topics that the students liked the most and to visit the artistic monuments of the city of Milan.

During the lessons the use of visual materials will be very important and useful. The artistic periods are introduced and presented by giving students the visual image of the main artistic works (paintings, sculptures, architectural monuments, etc.) of that period. The visual support consists of images, VHS, and CDRom material.

Example of program:

• Celtic Tribes to Roman Empire: The first Celtic settlements and the arrival of the Romans. Archeological revivals of Roman culture and analysis of the first urban centers. Analysis of three architectural styles, S. Lorenzo basilica.
• Early Christian Milan to the foundation of the Commune: The importance of St. Ambrogio, the Christian culture, and the invasion of Longobard. S.Simpliciano basilica, Sant’ Ambrogio. Analysis and characteristics of the Romanesque style.
• Medieval Milan and Visconti lordship: The chronology of the Visconti family tree. Milan medieval monuments such as Mercanti square and St. Eustorgio basilica. General characteristics of Gothic style architecture and Gothic monuments in Milan such as St. Marco square and Duomo cathedral.
• The Sforza family and the Renaissance: The court of the Sforza family and Sforzesco Castle. Analysis and characteristics of the birth of the Renaissance in Florence. The Renaissance in Milan including artists such as Filarete and Bramante, and monuments such as Santa Maria delle Grazie, Santa Maria, and San Satiro.
• Leonardo da Vinci: His life and works, his period in Milan, and the history and an analysis of The Last Supper, his unique masterpiece.
• The Spanish domination: the Mannerism period, featuring artists such as Caravaggio, Carracci, and Rubens. Analysis and characteristics of Baroque architecture. St. Alessandro church, Palazzo Marino, Palazzo del Senato, The House of Omenoni, and Palazzo Durini.
• French and Austrian domination: Maria Teresa of Austria and the reform of Napoleon Bonaparte. Neoclassic achitecture. Palazzo di Brera, Palazzo Reale, La Scala Theatre, Foro Bonaparte, Parco Sempione, Villa Reale, and Arco della Pace.
• Restoration, Revival, and the Kingdom of Italy: The Austrian Restoration and the war for the independence of Italy during the time of Garibaldi. The Industrial Revolution. Analysis of Eclecticism. Monumental Cemetery, Vittorio Emanuele Gallery.
• Fascism and Rationalism: Mussolini and fascist architecture in Milan (Piacentini). Liberty Style. Analysis of the characteristics of Rationalism. Muzio and Giò Ponti. Central Railway Station, San Babila Square and The Palace of Justice.