• Syllabus (printable PDF incl. day-to-day schedule)

Course Description

This course explores European art from the 15^th to the 20^th century with a particular focus on the travels of artists between urban centers like Florence, Rome, Venice, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Berlin. The aim is to analyze how mobility contributed through the centuries to shape local identities as well as European visual cultural traditions and styles common to different countries.

The course will present iconic moments of the history of the arts in Europe by drawing a special attention to episodes of cultural exchanges and hybridization that arose from travelling artworks as well as from artists’ travels. From the impact of Flemish art in 15^th century Italy, to the stays of artists like Raphael and Michelangelo in the early 16^th-century papal Rome; from the rise of genre painting in the Flanders and the Dutch Republic during the Age of Explorations, to the ‘painters of modern life’ in 19^th-century Paris, and the European network of the Avant-gardes in the 1910s-1920s, we will analyze the artworks and their authors in relation to the different historical contexts and the places of their creation. Recurrent will be the focus on the complex interplay between artists and patrons, between local traditions, individual creativity and the broader social, political and cultural contexts in which artworks and buildings were produced.

Students will gain understanding of the main art movements and relevant artists from the Renaissance to the postwar period and the special role played by travels in giving shape to a European cultural space. Visits to the outstanding collections of Berlin museums will allow the participants to study original artifacts and to learn how to look closely at works of art.

Student Profile

The course addresses students of any subject.

Prerequisites

An elementary knowledge of European history is welcome but not necessary.

Required language skills

The language of instruction is English. Language proficiency on an advanced Intermediate level (Mittelstufe II) is a prerequisite for participation. For orientation purposes, you can assess your language skills here (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Course Requirements

Regular attendance and active participation, mid-term oral presentation and final written exam.

Grading

30% Attendance & participation

30% Mid-term presentation (oral presentation of a work in Berlin museums)

40% Final Exam

Reading

A course reader will be provided at the orientation meeting.

Recommended Course Combinations (Selection)

• Architecture in Berlin: A Walk through History
• Twentieth Century Berlin: People, Places, Words
• Semi-Intensive German Language Course