ART 272 The Cosmopolitan Renaissance
The Renaissance city was defined by collisions of people and ideas; it was a site of contest between old and new, sacred and profane, elite and common, and insider and outsider. In this course we will examine five major cosmopolitan cities (Bruges, Florence, Venice, London and Milan) to understand how the diverse international populations of these mercantile communities shaped artistic practice. We will look to the powerful role of patronage in both creating desire for new styles and subjects, as well as in transporting knowledge between disparate nations. We will also attend to the role of national identity in the nascent realm of artistic self-consciousness. By tracing cross-cultural movements, this course will ultimately work to de-center traditional conceptions of the Renaissance as constrained by borders. Fulfills Explorations in Fine Arts course requirement. Counts as both a fulfillment of the Ren/Baroque requirement and as an Art History elective.