Final Course Project: Assignment Sheet - Italian Art and Architecture | HIS 385 | Study Guides, Projects, Research World History

Assignment Sheet: Final Course Project

His 385 – Patronage and Culture: The Social

and Economic Foundations of Italian Art and

Architecture

Fall 2010

Instructor: David Lux

dlux@bryant.edu

X 6433

COURSE PROJECT (25% -- 250 PTS.): Each student will complete a course research project involving the

role of patronage in the arts or architecture of Italy. For this course, the project will actually be completed

in a number of steps:

a 1-2 page preliminary proposal outlining the historical problem, issues, or questions to be

addressed (graded P/F for 10 points = it’s either done, or it’s not)

developed in consultation with the instructor; completed by week 10

development of an appropriate annotated bibliography to frame the project research

at least 15 primary and secondary (library/archival) sources, 7 – 10 pages (50 pts.)

in-class presentation of a final project proposal (process paper -- 50 pts.)

5-10 minutes, delivered in class during one of the final 3 regularly scheduled class periods

of the semester. A process paper of 2-3 pages outlining the scope of work and the products

planned for development during the field experience to accompany the presentation.

a research paper or media-based presentation developed, at least in part, on the basis original

materials created and/or primary sources consulted during the field study in Italy. (100 pts.)

a final essay (3-5pages) reflecting on the course experience, lessons learned, and critique of

the project completed during the field study. (40 points)

In effect, the project for this course follows the cycle of activity common to all historical research and

publication.

The first half of the course (overview survey covering the history of Italy) is intended to provide the

foundation for formulation of preliminary research interests and questions. That preliminary interest is

formulated in the 1-2 page preliminary proposals due in week 10.

The second half the course – topic treatment of patronage in areas of particular interest in the history of art

and architecture – aims to support students in gaining familiarity with the basic literature on patronage in

the arts and architecture of Italy. This course material will support students in development of an annotated

bibliography for the project and in the formulation of an operational research agenda. As outcomes, these

course activities are embodied both in the class presentation on the intended scope of work for the field

experience and in the annotated bibliography.

The actual research “product” in the course project must be based in activities carried out in during the field

experience in Italy. In some cases, this in-country activity may involve library research, but will more

likely be based in documenting observations or commentaries -- descriptions, drawings, or photography

used to illustrate a research paper.

The final essay is intended as a reflection and self-evaluation.

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Assignment Sheet: Final Course Project His 385 – Patronage and Culture: The Social and Economic Foundations of Italian Art and Architecture Fall 2010 Instructor: David Lux dlux@bryant.edu X 6433 COURSE PROJECT (25% -- 250 PTS.): Each student will complete a course research project involving the role of patronage in the arts or architecture of Italy. For this course, the project will actually be completed in a number of steps:  a 1-2 page preliminary proposal outlining the historical problem, issues, or questions to be addressed (graded P/F for 10 points = it’s either done, or it’s not) developed in consultation with the instructor; completed by week 10  development of an appropriate annotated bibliography to frame the project research at least 15 primary and secondary (library/archival) sources, 7 – 10 pages (50 pts.)  in-class presentation of a final project proposal (process paper -- 50 pts.) 5-10 minutes, delivered in class during one of the final 3 regularly scheduled class periods of the semester. A process paper of 2-3 pages outlining the scope of work and the products planned for development during the field experience to accompany the presentation.  a research paper or media-based presentation developed, at least in part, on the basis original materials created and/or primary sources consulted during the field study in Italy. (100 pts.)  a final essay (3-5pages) reflecting on the course experience, lessons learned, and critique of the project completed during the field study. (40 points) In effect, the project for this course follows the cycle of activity common to all historical research and publication. The first half of the course (overview survey covering the history of Italy) is intended to provide the foundation for formulation of preliminary research interests and questions. That preliminary interest is formulated in the 1-2 page preliminary proposals due in week 10. The second half the course – topic treatment of patronage in areas of particular interest in the history of art and architecture – aims to support students in gaining familiarity with the basic literature on patronage in the arts and architecture of Italy. This course material will support students in development of an annotated bibliography for the project and in the formulation of an operational research agenda. As outcomes, these course activities are embodied both in the class presentation on the intended scope of work for the field experience and in the annotated bibliography. The actual research “product” in the course project must be based in activities carried out in during the field experience in Italy. In some cases, this in-country activity may involve library research, but will more likely be based in documenting observations or commentaries -- descriptions, drawings, or photography used to illustrate a research paper. The final essay is intended as a reflection and self-evaluation.

Some examples of appropriate undergraduate course project ideas: “Caravaggio in Context”: One of the things we’ll learn about the production of Renaissance art involves the important role of the patron in determining the placement of an artist’s works. Moreover, “placement” most often expressed a value judgment on the quality of an artist’s work. In that light, one of the most important of all the late Renaissance artists, Caravaggio, had work first displayed in some very odd places. Given the significance and influence even his contemporaries recognized, he didn’t really get any good placements or strong patronage. Moreover, much of his work remains where it was first hung. Despite the significance of his work, very few of Caravaggio’s paintings appear in any of the major museums or collections of the world. Why is that? In this example, the preliminary proposal, annotated bibliography, and the final project proposal will need to serve two purposes: First, they will need to lay out the typical ways in which Renaissance patronage systems operated. Second, they will need to describe the handling of Caravaggio’s work. The field research for a project such as this could involve a photographic essay documenting where and how Caravaggio’s canvases now hang. This is a project that can be accomplished quite easily during a short visit to Rome and Florence. “Michelangelo’s Florence”: Although Florence claims Michelangelo as one of its own; most of his greatest works are much more closely associated with his time in Rome. Indeed, Michelangelo had a tempestuous relationship with his patrons in Rome. The façade of the Church of San Lorenzo stands incomplete to this day at least in part because of the difficulties Michelangelo had dealing with his Florentine patrons. The story of Michelangelo’s patronage relationships in Florence can be developed quite readily on the basis of the standard historical literature. Indeed, multiple specific projects for an in-country field experience might be developed on the basis of that literature. These could include, for example, the documentation of Michelangelo’s plans for San Lorenzo, his antipathy toward the political pretensions of his Medici patrons, and the results as seen in the resulting Medici Chapel and the façade of San Lorenzo. “Who Were the Etruscans?”: Even today, Etruscan art and architecture receives relatively little attention outside the very tight circles of dedicated scholarly research. In a curious way, this makes Etruscan art and architecture a genuinely rich ground for undergraduate research. There are many artifacts and archaeological sites that suggest the Etruscan world was a technically sophisticated one dominated by a wealthy, aristocratic, urban class. Scholars describe this and the artifacts and artwork support the idea, For undergraduate students, this is an ideal research area in which the scholarly literature can provide the basis for projects illustrating what we can be said about the patronage system producing a rich heritage of art and architecture. “The Three Faces of Rome”: The architectural record of Rome reveals many layers that actually sort themselves out into three dominant periods of politics and patronage. First, there is the record of Imperial Rome. This is seen primarily in the great public works of the first and second centuries – baths, multiple generations of forum, the Coliseum, the walls, and the aqua ducts. Second, there is Christian and papal Rome as seen in St. Peter’s, the Baroque churches and villas, and the gardens of the Villa Borghese. Finally, there is National and Fascist Rome as seen in the Piazza Venezia, the Garbatella neighborhood, and the Via dei Fori Imperiale. The interaction and interconnections of these three “faces” of Rome is a critically important factor in the city’s identity. Likewise, they are historically linked as artifacts of three great eras of Rome’s power, patronage, and influence. This topic lends itself easily to undergraduate research in the on-campus portion of the course as well as in the field experience.

Final Course Project: Assignment Sheet - Italian Art and Architecture | HIS 385, Study Guides, Projects, Research of World History

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