Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH 298"
COURSE NAME: "Baroque Rome and Its Monuments"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2023

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Anna Tuck-Scala
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: T2:15 PM 5:00 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: On-site; activity fee: €25 or $33
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Rome City Series - Rome is the city where the baroque style originated and flourished, and this on-site course focuses on some of the most significant works of art, architecture, and urban planning of the 17th-18th centuries. The course will discuss the works of artists and architects like Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Francesco Borromini, and Pietro da Cortona. From Villa Borghese to the Trevi Fountain the artworks and urban spaces will provide an opportunity to discuss aspects like Baroque illusionism, artistic techniques, influential art theories, and the religious and political contexts of art production and collection in this dynamic and vibrant period.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Since Rome's historic center as it appears today was largely shaped in the seventeenth century, this on-site course provides students an invaluable opportunity to gain thorough and intimate knowledge of world-famous monuments, and, at the same time, learn about their specific political, social, and cultural contexts. Popes, princes of the Church, new religious orders, and private patrons commissioned a variety of awe-inspiring works, some of which shaped the direction of art and architecture in the modern era. Although organized as a chronological survey of principal artists, monuments and themes, the goal is for students to become actively engaged in the aesthetic space and become experts at viewing and thinking critically about art.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students will gain extensive first-hand knowledge about seventeenth-century art, architecture and culture in Rome.

Training in visual analysis, interpretation and communication skills will be useful beyond the scope of the course.

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Art and Architecture in Italy, vols. 1-3	Rudolf Wittkower	Yale University Press	9780300079982, 9780300079999, 978030078893
Patrons and Painters: A Study in the Relations between Italian Art and Society in the Age of Baroque	Francis Haskell	Yale University Press	9780300035408
Italian Baroque Art	Susan M. Dixon, editor	Blackwell Publishing	9781405139670
Italian and Spanish Art 1600-1750, Sources and Documents	Robert Enggass and Jonathon Brown (editors)	Prentice-Hall, Inc., Northwestern University Press	0810110652

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Rome in the Age of Bernini, Vols. 1-2	Torgil Magnuson	Almquist & Wiksell	9174011125
Seventeenth-century Art and Architecture	Ann Sutherland Harris	Pearson Prentice Hall	013145577X
Caravaggio	Catherine Puglisi	Phaidon	0714834165
Italian Baroque and Rococo Architecture	John Varriano	Oxford University Press	0195035488
Baroque and Rococo Art and Culture	Vernon Hyde Minor	Prentice Hall	0130856495
Images of Nepotism: The Painted Ceilings of Palazzo Barberini	John Beldon Scott	Princeton University Press	9780691040752
Roman Baroque Sculpture: The Industry of Art	Jennifer Montagu	Yale University Press	0300053665
Baroque	John Rupert Martin	Westview Press	0064300773
The Rome of Alexander VII 1655-1667	Richard Krautheimer	Princeton	0691002770
Renaissance and Baroque	Heinrich Wolfflin	Collins	0002173492
Borromini	Anthony Blunt	Harvard University Press	067777740779256
Bernini	Howard Hibbard	Penguin Books	0140207015
Pietro da Cortona and Roman Baroque Architecture	Jorg Martin Merz, Anthony Blunt	Yale University Press	0300111231
Guide to Baroque Rome	Anthony Blunt	Granada	0246117621
Artemisia, exhibition catalogue	Letizia Treves et al.	National Gallery Co.	9781857096569

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
	GENERAL GUIDELINES: This is an upper-level art history course. No distinction is made between art and non-art majors in class. Grading is not based on a curve. All students are expected to attend class, be on time, keep up with the readings,, complete all assignments and take exams on schedule. Grades will be lowered for non-compliance and unexcused absences. There may be an unannounced pop quiz if it is perceived that the class is not staying current with the material. Specific guidelines for all assignments and exams will be provided and graded accordingly. The instructor should be contacted immediately if there are any questions or problems. Any need for student accomodation based on the impact of a disabilty should be addressed to the instructor privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible at the beginning of the course. The required documentation should be on file. See the website for the complete policy.
Three viewing assignments	Each viewing assignment is two pages long (500 words) and due at the beginning of class on the day of discussion (see schedule). They must be well-written to earn a grade in the A range.	15% (5% each)
On-site presentation	A brief presentation based on close visual analysis (about 10 minutes) will be given by each student on-site. The topic and date will be chosen by the student from a list of options.	15%
Midterm and Final exam	Specific guidelines for the exams will be provided, as well as a monument list. The final exam is not cumulative.	50% Midterm= 20% and Final = 30%)
Active Participation and Improvement	Regular and punctual class attendance is mandatory. Viewing and discussing works of art on-site will be the highlight of the course. Even if students have studied the course material before, it is expected that they will attend class and learn something new. To earn a high grade it is necessary to be actively engaged and participate regularly in class discussions.	20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the co
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY

You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs from April 30-May 6.

It is essential to come to class on time and bring student IDs. In churches, respectful behavior and appropriate dress are required (no sleeveless shirts, mini-skirts, shorts, hats or flip-flops).

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Session	Session Focus	Reading Assignment	Other Assignment	Meeting Place/Exam Dates
Tuesday, Sept 5, 2023 (classroom Chapel 1)	INTRODUCTION TO COURSE: WHAT IS THE BAROQUE IN ROME? ( SYLLABUS, LIBRARY RESOURCES)	For background information: Wittkower, vol. I, Introduction, chapter 1
Tuesday, Sept 12, 2023 (meeting place and time to be announced)	RENAISSANCE VS. BAROQUE. THE CONCEPT OF MANNERISM: WHAT DID 17th c. ARTISTS LOOK AT? Vatican pinacoteca, masterpieces of ancient sculpture, Raphael's "School of Athens", Michelangelo's "Sistine Ceiling"	Panofsky, "What is baroque?"
Tuesday, Sept 19, 2023 (meet at entrance to Doria-Pamphilj Gallery)	THE CARRACCI REFORM OF PAINTING, CARAVAGGIO'S EARLY RELIGIOUS PAINTING, PAMPHILJ PATRONAGE	Wittkower, vol. I, chapters 2 and 3. For Alessandro Algardi, Wittkower, vol. II, chapter 5, pp. 88-94; Feigenbaum, "Practice in the Carracci Academy"
Tuesday, Sept 26, 2023 (meeting place and time to be announced)	CARAVAGGIO'S MATURE WORKS (PAINTINGS IN CHURCHES: SAN LUIGI DEI FRANCESI, SANTA MARIA DEL POPOLO, SANT'AGOSTINO)	Excerpts from seventeenth-century sources: Letter by Giustiniani to Amayden; G. B. Agucchi's "Treatise on Painting"; G. P. Bellori, "The Idea of the Painter , the Sculptor and the Architect"; G. P. Bellori, "Life of Caravaggio"
Tuesday, Oct 3, 2023 (meet in classroom before going on-site)	THE CARAVAGGISTI; THE SPECIAL CASE OF ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI; THE BOLOGNESE ARTISTS IN ROME (Domenichino's "Saint Cecilia" frescoes in San Luigi dei Francesi; Domenichino and Lanfranco's frescoes in San Andrea della Valle)	Cavazzini, "Artemisia in Her Father's House", Wittkower, vol. I, chapter 4, pp. 41-58
Tuesday, Oct 10, 2023 (meeting to be announced)	GIAN LORENZO BERNINI'S EARLY SCULPTURE; VILLA BORGHESE GALLERY; BAROQUE ART AND THE PATRONAGE OF CARDINAL SCIPIONE BORGHESE	Wittkower, vol. II, chapter 1 (Introduction), chapter 2, pp. 5-23; Tuck-Scala "'I Borghese e l'Antico' (exhibition review)", pp. 68-73.	VIEWING ASSIGNMENT OF THE SPADA GALLERY
Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 MIDTERM EXAM	MIDTERM EXAM			Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 MIDTERM EXAM
Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 (meet near Triton Fountain in center of Piazza Barberini)	ANDREA SACCHI AND PIETRO DA CORTONA; POPE URBAN VIII AND BARBERINI PATRONAGE (PALAZZO BARBERINI)	Haskell, "The Mechanics of Seventeenth-Century Patronage"; Vitzthum, "A Comment on the Iconography of Pietro da Cortona's Barberini Ceiling"; Wittkower, vol. II, chapter 4, pp. 74-84, chapter 5, pp. 85-88
Tuesday, Oct 31, 2023 (meet near obelisk at center of Saint Peter's Square)	THE DEVELOPMENT OF BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE; CARLO MADERNO AND BERNINI, BASILICA AND PIAZZA DI SAN PIETRO	Wittkower, vol. I, chapter 6, pp. 75-79, vol. II, chapter 2, pp. 33-38
Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023 (meet by the Trevi Fountain)	BORROMINI VS. BERNINI (Churches: SS. Vincenzo e Anastasio by Martino Longhi the Younger; Sant'Andrea al Quirinale by Bernini; San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane by Borromini; Santa Susanna facade by Carlo Maderno; Santa Maria della Vittoria with "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" in the Cornaro Chapel by Bernini)	Lavin, "Bernini's Conception of the Visual Arts: 'Un Bel Composto'", Wittkower, vol. II, chapter 2, pp. 23-33, chapter 3, pp. 39-45, pp. 106-107	VIEWING ASSIGNMENT ON BAROQUE CHURCH OF CHOICE NOT ON SYLLABUS
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 (meet near the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona)	BERNINI AND BORROMINI CONTINUED; PAMPHILJ PATRONAGE CONTINUED; PIETRO DA CORTONA CONTINUED (Pietro da Cortona's facade of Santa Maria della Pace, and frescoed ceiling in Chiesa Nuova; Borromini's facade of the Oratorio dei Filippini; Borromini's Sant' Ivo alla Sapienza; Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers and Sant'Agnese in Agone in Piazza Navona)	Connors, "Ars Tornandi: Baroque Architecture and the Lathe"; Excerpt of Baldinucci's Life of Bernini; Wittkower, vol. II, chapter 3, pp. 45-62, chapter 4, pp. 63-65, 70-74	VIEW INTERIOR OF SANT'IVO ALLA SAPIENZA (open Sundays, 9 am to noon)
Tuesday, Nov 21, 2023 (meet at Elephant Obelisk)	THE JESUITS; LATE BAROQUE ILLUSIONISTIC CEILING PAINTING (Il Gesù Church: G. B. Gaulli/Baccicia, "Adoration of the Name of Jesus"; Elephant Obelisk; Sant'Ignazio Church: A. Pozzo, "Allegory of the Missionary Work of the Jesuits"; Piazza Sant'Ignazio)	Wittkower, vol. II, chapter 8, pp. 134-145; Tuck-Scala, “Illusionistic ceiling frescoes in Baroque churches in Rome,” in Patrimonio, pp. 72-79.
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2023 (meet near obelisk at center of Piazza del Popolo)	LATE BAROQUE MONUMENTS AND SQUARES (Piazza del Popolo and twin churches; Sant'Andrea della Fratte; Collegio di Propaganda Fide; Spanish Steps; Trevi Fountain)	Wittkower, vol. III, chapter 1 (Introduction), chapter 2, pp. 5-17
Tuesday, Dec 5, 2023	BAROQUE CONTEXT OF TRASTEVERE; SOME MONUMENTS IN THE VICINITY OF JCU (Corsini Gallery/Residence of Queen Christina of Sweden; Stefano Maderno's "Santa Cecilia" in Santa Cecilia in Trastevere; Bernini's "Blessed Ludovica" in San Francesco a Ripa)	Montanari, "Bellori and Christina of Sweden"	VIEWING ASSIGNMENT ON CORSINI GALLERY
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED (FINALS WEEK)	FINAL EXAM			DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED