HUAS75022 - The Art of Likeness: Portraiture in Renaissance Europe

Course Description

Portraits, that is to say representations of specific individuals, comprise one of the most important categories of artistic production in Renaissance Europe, ca. 1300-1600. From antiquity until today, the likenesses of men and women have always been highly important to artists, patrons, and viewers alike. In Renaissance Europe, portraits served many functions including visually expressing power and authority, proclaiming status and relationships, conveying information about appearances, commemorating a moment in time or an event, and preserving memory. This course will consider examples of Renaissance portraiture from Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, France, England, and Spain. Topics we will consider include the social, political, and psychological roles played by portraits; stylistic developments in portraiture; the display of portraits; the ways in which likenesses fashion identities and construct memory; and artists’ self-portraits. We will look at portraits in an array of media including painting, sculpture, and the graphic arts. There will be an optional visit to the Art Institute of Chicago to look at Renaissance portraits in the collection.

Notes

Course Syllabus

Online registration deadline: Thurs, Mar 16, 5PM CT