Gentile Bellini, St. Mark Preaching in Alexandria, 1504
This history course examines the art and architecture of Venice in the context of systems – geographical, political and cultural – and at varying scales. From its early settlements in the 5th century as a site of refuge from the mainland incursions after the fall of the Roman Empire to its subsequent role in the Byzantine Empire and so forth, Venice has always been responsive to the various streams of influence pouring into it. Thus, we will examine these larger influences and the shifting roles the lagoon city plays over the centuries up until our modern times, whether at the center or edge, facing eastward or westward. In particular, we will study how the built forms, typologies and art demonstrate patterns of these systems. The emphasis will be on architecture and we will consider how other media function within the larger architectural space and program.
Our course will consist primarily of on-site lectures at key monuments in the city and our trips to the Italian mainland. These include Torcello, Piazza San Marco, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Ss. Giovanni e Paolo and the Salute, and the Scuole Grande di San Marco.
The final project will consist of a paper that requires analysis and research. A list of potential topics will be distributed later in the semester.
Wednesday, August 26 — Venice in Time: Watery Beginnings to la Serenissima
Wednesday, September 2 — Venice in Time: From Empire to Global Hub
Wednesday, September 9 — Mappings
Wednesday, September 16 — Venice, Veneto, Lagoon and Land
October 5 — Beginnings — Torcello
Reading: R. Goy, Venice: the city and its architecture, London 1999, 20-45; 162-72
October 14 — Streams of Influence — Basilica di San Marco, Piazza San Marco, Ca' Loredan + Farsetti, Fondaco dei Tedeschi
Reading: D. Howard, "Venice and Islam in the Middle Ages: some observations on the question of architectural influence," in Architectural History, 34.1991, 59-74
October 16 — In Situ — Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and Scuola Grande di San Rocco
Reading: D. Howard and L. Moretti, "Mendicant Friaries," in Sound and Space in Renaissance Venice, New Haven 2009, 77-94; J. Schulz, "The Building Type" in The New Palaces of Medieval Venice, State College 2004, 5-21
October 20 — Early Venetian Renaissance — Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Scuola Grande di San Marco, Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Reading: R. Lieberman, "Real Architecture, Imaginary History: The Arsenale Gate as Venetian Mythology," in Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, vol. 4, 1991, 117-26
October 21 — Translatio of Rome to Venice: Sansovino — Libreria Marciana, La Zecca, La Loggetta
Reading: R. Goy, Venice: the city and its architecture, London 1999, 267-82
Palladio in Venice — San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore
Reading: A. Palladio, I Quattro Libri di Architettura, trans. Tavernor and Schofield, 3-19; J. Ackerman, Palladio, London 1991, Chap. 1 "Palladio and His Times"; H. Burns, Palladio, London 2008, Designing a Villa, 100-107
October 27 — Galleria dell'Accademia
Reading: Patricia Fortini Brown, Venetian Narrative Painting in the Age of Carpaccio, Chapter 9, "The Sacred in the Profane," New Haven, 125-34
October 28 — Reinterpreting Old Themes — Santa Maria della Salute
Reading: A. Hopkins, Baldassare Longhena and Venetian Baroque Architecture, New Haven 2012, 57-89
Quiz – Wednesday, November 18, 9-11.30
Final Paper – due Tuesday, November 24 by email