FNA2121*

Landscape painting in Tuscany A

6 points - 104 hours of lectures, tutorials, site visits and studio work on locations in Europe and 52 hours of independent study - Third semester - Caulfield - Prerequisites: FNA1201, FNA1202, TAD1101, TAD1102 - Corequisites: none - Prohibitions: FNA2131 - Elective - Note: Incurs substantial travel and accommodation costs which are to be paid by the student to the tour provider. May be taken as an elective subject by students of any faculty including Art and Design. FNA2131 is an 8 credit points version of this subject.

Objectives At the end of this course students will be able to demonstrate a historical understanding of the development of Tuscan painting; understand the symbolic use of the landscape in Italian art; recognise the characteristic features and colours of this region; use the landscape as the basis of their own painting; understand the materials used in traditional Tuscan painting; demonstrate a level of skill in the production of their own art work; and perceive and depict the features that are essential to Tuscan landscape.

Synopsis This course provides the opportunity for students to study one of the most important areas of landscape used in Western art development. They will draw and paint in locations used by Renaissance Masters such as Piero della Francesca and Leonardo Da Vinci to create their superbly harmonised visions of perfection that underpin 15th century Italian art. The colours, shapes and techniques of production that have shaped much of the art that forms our aesthetic sensibilities today will be studied. The nature of pigments, brushing techniques and the qualities of materials will form part of the study as will an understanding of the geography and flora of the landscape. The course will centre on the town of Montispertoli, with its spectacular examples of traditional Tuscan landscape, which formed the backdrop to much Tuscan art from the 14th to the 16th centuries. Studies on the history of Tuscan painting will also be included as well as visits to many of the great Italian painting collections.

Assessment Portfolio of work: 75% - Research book: 25%

Prescribed texts

Handbook for subject FNA2121

Recommended texts

Freedberg S J Painting in the High Renaissance in Rome and Florence Harper and Row, 1972
Jeffares B Landscape painting Phaidon, 1979
Kauter L B Painting and illumination in early Renaissance Florence, 1300 - 1450 Abrams, 1994
Meiss M Painting in Florence and Sienna after the Black Death Princeton U P,1978

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