How did the works of Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo come to be regarded as so important in the history of art? Why, even within the artists' lifetimes, was their art regarded as signaling the "rebirth" of painting and sculpture and Michelangelo called "the divine"? In this course we will examine the principal Renaissance monuments (Giotto's Arena Chapel, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Michelangelo's David and Sistine Chapel Ceiling) and their reception, including the recent "Da Vinci Code Effect" that has rekindled an interest in Leonardo da Vinci. The Italian Renaissance will also offer a useful perspective for considering topics of current cultural relevance like the value of the visual arts in society, public support for the arts, and visual literacy.

Estimated cost of materials: $50-100.

HISTART Concentration Distributions: 3. Early Modern, D. Europe and the US.

Required textbooks: Stephen J. Campbell and Michael W. Cole, Italian Renaissance Art (Thames & Hudson/W. W. Norton: New York, 2012)

Class format: Lecture

This course fulfills the HU distribution.