The course aims to provide the methodological tools related to art-historical investigation, focusing on visual and textual sources, theoretical and historiographical debate.
Skills will be acquired to study works of art in their context, to read and interpret primary sources and to carry out autonomous bibliographical research by consulting specialised libraries and electronic resources. Finally, students will be able to analytically interpret and comment on works and contexts of the contemporary age using specialist terminology.
Skills will be acquired to study works of art in their context, to read and interpret primary sources and to carry out autonomous bibliographical research by consulting specialised libraries and electronic resources. Finally, students will be able to analytically interpret and comment on works and contexts of the contemporary age using specialist terminology.
teacher profile teaching materials
collections, the course will trace the chronology of Italian colonialism from liberal Italy to Fascism, to the postcolonial phase. Different types of textual sources will be examined, including artists’ letters and diaries, institutional documents, military memoirs, press articles, manifesti and literary texts and exhibition catalogs.
Finally, a series of lectures will be devoted to the analysis of the most recent research and practices of contemporary artists who, starting from different geographical and cultural perspectives, have tackled the difficult legacy of Italian imperialism with a critical and decolonial approach
a)
- Carmen Belmonte, Arte e colonialismo in Italia. Oggetti, immagini, migrazioni (1882-1906), Venezia, Marsilio, 2021 (Introduzione, pp. 9-15; II capitolo, pp. 51-89).
- Lucia Piccioni, Aeropittura futurista e colonialismo fascista. Il paesaggio africano senza l’uomo, «Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz», lix, 1, 2017, Visualizing Otherness in
Modern Italy (XIX-XX century), a cura di Eva-Maria Troelenberg in collaborazione con Melania Savino, pp. 109-123.
- Giuliana Tomasella, Esporre l’Italia coloniale. Interpretazioni dell’alterità, con un regesto delle esposizioni di Priscilla Manfren e Chiara Marin, Padova, Il Poligrafo, 2017, pp. 9-108.
and at least one of the following texts of your choice
b)
Acquarelli, Luca, Il fascismo e l'immagine dell’impero: retoriche e culture, Roma, Donzelli, 2022 (II capitolo, pp. 45-119).
Carmen Belmonte and Laura Moure Cecchini, “Critical issues in the study of visual and material culture of Italian colonialism”, Special Issue of «Modern Italy», 27, (2022), Visual and material legacies of fascist colonialism, ed. by Carmen Belmonte and Laura Moure Cecchini, pp. 327–350.
Dominique Jarrassé, L’art colonial, entre orientalisme et art primitif. Recherche d’une définition, «Histoire de l’art», 51, 2002, pp. 3-16.
Colonialità e culture visuali in Italia. Percorsi critici tra ricerca artistica, pratiche teoriche e sperimentazioni pedagogiche, a cura di Lucrezia Cippitelli e Simone Frangi, Milano-Udine, Mimesis, 2021 (pp. 11-16; 195-246).
c) of teaching materials (which will be shared on the Teams platform): ppts of the slides projected in class, videos, digital copies of historical sources.
d) In addition, (only for those taking the course) an integral part of the examination will be the presentation and discussion of the written paper that students will be invited to write during the weeks of the course. The topic will be agreed with the lecturer. It must be handed in 15 days before the date of the chosen examination call.
Non-attendee program: in-depth study of all the bibliographical texts indicated in points a and b, as well as the teaching materials available on the Teams platform.
6 credit program: thorough study of the texts indicated in point a) and the teaching materials
Programme
The course investigates the intersections between the art system and colonial politics during the 19th and 20th centuries in Italy. Art-historical inquiry therefore faces political history, consensus, propaganda and dissent, and poses methodological problems related to the study of primary sources and historiography. Through several insights around works, artists, exhibition projects and museumcollections, the course will trace the chronology of Italian colonialism from liberal Italy to Fascism, to the postcolonial phase. Different types of textual sources will be examined, including artists’ letters and diaries, institutional documents, military memoirs, press articles, manifesti and literary texts and exhibition catalogs.
Finally, a series of lectures will be devoted to the analysis of the most recent research and practices of contemporary artists who, starting from different geographical and cultural perspectives, have tackled the difficult legacy of Italian imperialism with a critical and decolonial approach
Core Documentation
Preparation for the exam requires in-depth study of:a)
- Carmen Belmonte, Arte e colonialismo in Italia. Oggetti, immagini, migrazioni (1882-1906), Venezia, Marsilio, 2021 (Introduzione, pp. 9-15; II capitolo, pp. 51-89).
- Lucia Piccioni, Aeropittura futurista e colonialismo fascista. Il paesaggio africano senza l’uomo, «Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz», lix, 1, 2017, Visualizing Otherness in
Modern Italy (XIX-XX century), a cura di Eva-Maria Troelenberg in collaborazione con Melania Savino, pp. 109-123.
- Giuliana Tomasella, Esporre l’Italia coloniale. Interpretazioni dell’alterità, con un regesto delle esposizioni di Priscilla Manfren e Chiara Marin, Padova, Il Poligrafo, 2017, pp. 9-108.
and at least one of the following texts of your choice
b)
Acquarelli, Luca, Il fascismo e l'immagine dell’impero: retoriche e culture, Roma, Donzelli, 2022 (II capitolo, pp. 45-119).
Carmen Belmonte and Laura Moure Cecchini, “Critical issues in the study of visual and material culture of Italian colonialism”, Special Issue of «Modern Italy», 27, (2022), Visual and material legacies of fascist colonialism, ed. by Carmen Belmonte and Laura Moure Cecchini, pp. 327–350.
Dominique Jarrassé, L’art colonial, entre orientalisme et art primitif. Recherche d’une définition, «Histoire de l’art», 51, 2002, pp. 3-16.
Colonialità e culture visuali in Italia. Percorsi critici tra ricerca artistica, pratiche teoriche e sperimentazioni pedagogiche, a cura di Lucrezia Cippitelli e Simone Frangi, Milano-Udine, Mimesis, 2021 (pp. 11-16; 195-246).
c) of teaching materials (which will be shared on the Teams platform): ppts of the slides projected in class, videos, digital copies of historical sources.
d) In addition, (only for those taking the course) an integral part of the examination will be the presentation and discussion of the written paper that students will be invited to write during the weeks of the course. The topic will be agreed with the lecturer. It must be handed in 15 days before the date of the chosen examination call.
Non-attendee program: in-depth study of all the bibliographical texts indicated in points a and b, as well as the teaching materials available on the Teams platform.
6 credit program: thorough study of the texts indicated in point a) and the teaching materials
Type of delivery of the course
Lectures, on-site visits to museum collections and temporary exhibitions; workshops on art-historical research requiring active contribution from students. Attendance is recommendedType of evaluation
Oral examination at the end of the course, with a grade in thirtieths and possible honors. The threshold for passing the exam is set at 18/30. The following constitute elements of evaluation: the depth and breadth of knowledge acquired, mastery of specialized vocabulary, and the ability to deal critically and analytically with the topics covered by the course.