2020/21

Module Outline

Mannerism defines a key historical period in European arts, bridging the Renaissance and Baroque periods, which is characterised by a shift towards an increasingly more artful, idiosyncratic approach to artistic invention and practice. The term itself, however, is controversial, as it was forged by modern critics on the basis of the Italian sixteenth-century expression maniera (‘manner’, ‘style’). The broad aim of this module is to bring to the fore a number of critical issues raised by the many-sided notion of Mannerism, provide an in-depth examination of a large body of artists and artworks (drawings, paintings, sculptures and architecture) associated with it. The module is based on student-centred seminars, and structured in such a way that students will be invited to reflect on how their understanding of the concept of Mannerism changes throughout. It focuses on how theorists and artists developed new ways of conceiving of artistic practice, by placing unprecedented emphasis on the individual’s inventiveness and talent, and taking the ideal of beauty well beyond the rules of classical art that had prevailed in the High Renaissance. The analysis of theoretical principles elaborated by Italian treatise writers such as Vasari and Lomazzo is combined with an extensive survey of artistic practices and stylistic features that spread from Italy across Europe in the sixteenth century.

Sample Syllabus

Module Format

This module consists of both lectures and seminars. Seminars are student-centred; you should be prepared to contribute to the discussion in order to reap the benefits. Seminars may vary in format, and will entail a variety of in-class group activities including occasional group presentations.

Module Aims

By the end of the module you should be able to understand and compare/contrast:

• Demonstrate critical understanding of how Mannerism impacted on the development of Western art and how it has been discussed in modern scholarship.
• Learn how to deal critically with periodisation, stylistic categories and complex theoretical concepts.
• Demonstrate a grasp of the main lines of Mannerism-related artworks and the notion of Mannerism in contemporary art theory
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the works studied and their contexts
• Deploy these ideas critically in relation to other forms of art

Moreover, you should be able to:

• Make use of primary sources to contextualise the material;
• Improve your analytical skills and incorporate visual analysis in your work;
• Frame artists and artworks in their historical contexts and situate them in a broader art historical discourse;
• Deal with theoretical issues and historiographical concepts related to the Renaissance.

Workload

2 x 2-hour lecture/seminar per week

1 x Field trip

You should carry our a minimum of 7 hours preparatory reading and independent research per week

Assessment

3,500 word Portfolio including both documentary evidence and reflective writing (50%)

Slide test Assignment (20%)

1,500 word Essay (30%)

Introductory Reading

Essential

Giorgio Vasari, Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects (ed. 1568), translated by Conaway, J., and Bondanella, P. (Oxford, 1991), ‘Preface’ to Part 3. [http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b2952624~S1]

Robert Williams, ‘Italian Renaissance Art and the Systemacity of Representation’, in Elkins, J, and Williams, R., Renaissance Theory (New York: Routledge, 2008), pp. 159-184 [http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b2344574~S1]

Michael Levey, High Renaissance (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975), esp. Ch. 1, pp. 15-63.

Walter Friedlaender, Mannerism and Anti-mannerism in Italian Painting (New York: Columbia University Press, 1990).

John Shearman, Mannerism (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1967).

Philip Sohm, Style in the Theory of Early Modern Italy (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001), pp. 86-114Chapter 4, 'Giorgio Vasari: Aestheticizing and Historicizing Style'.

Robert Williams, Art, Theory, and Culture in Sixteenth-Century Italy: From Techne to Metatechne (Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1997), pp. 29-72 (ch. 1, ‘Vasari's Concept of Disegno’), and pp. 73-122 (Ch. 2, ‘Style, Decorum and the Viewer’s Experience’)

Further

The concept of Mannerism in modern scholarship

Anthony Blunt, Artistic Theory in Italy, 1450–1600 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1962).

Arnold Hauser, Mannerism: The Crisis of the Renaissance and the Origin of Modern Art (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1965).

Enrst H. Gombrich, ‘Mannerism: The Historiographic Background’, in Norm and Form: Studies in the Art of the Renaissance (London and New York: Phaidon, 1966), pp. 99-106.

Hessel Miedema, ‘On Mannerism and Maniera’, Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art, Vol. 10 (1978–1979), No. 1, pp. 19-45.

Jeroen Stumpel, ‘Speaking of Manner’, Word and Image, Vol. 4 (1988), No. 1, pp. 246-264.

Introduction to more specific themes

Sydney J. Freedberg, Painting of the High Renaissance in Rome and Florence (New York: Hacker Art Books, 1985).

Linda Murray, The High Renaissance and Mannerism: Italy, the North, and Spain, 1500–1600 (London: Thames and Hudson, 1977).

Wolfgang Lotz, Architecture in Italy, 1500-1600 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995).

Marcia B. Hall, After Raphael: Painting in Central Italy in the Sixteenth Century (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999)

Bastien Eclercy (ed.), Maniera: Pontormo, Bronzino and Medici Florence, exh. cat. (Munich, London, New York : Prestel, 2016).

Michael Cole, Cellini and the Principles of Sculpture (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002).

David Franklin, Painting in Renaissance Florence, 1500–1550 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001).

Henri Zerner, Renaissance Art in France: The Invention of Classicism (Paris: Flammarion, 2004).

Thomas Da Costa Kaufmann, The School of Prague: Painting at the Court of Rudolf II (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1988).

Module Outline

The module aims to equip students with advanced knowledge and understanding of a chosen area of study to undertake higher level independent research under guidance from a supervisor. It encourages students to develop their prior knowledge and understanding of art history at a higher level and undertake more focused and independent work. It encourages research skills, the critical application of methodology, and independent thinking. It enables students to make effective use of primary sources, both artistic and textual, in developing and completing a research project. It provides opportunities to develop research and writing.

Sample Syllabus

Module Format

This module is based around seminars and tutorials throughout the term with an emphasis on independent study.

Module Aims

Learn about significant scholarly debates among historians of art and/or architecture, analyse and evaluate their contributions

Identify and evaluate the most frequently used sources (visual and textual) to conduct and complete research on a select project

Engage in the analysis of a body of primary and secondary source material including relevant information technology

Communicate ideas and findings about the topic at hand both orally and in writing at a higher level

Present material effectively in a scholarly written format

Workload

14 contact hours (4 of which as tutorials)

You should carry out a minimum of 20 hours reading and preparation per week for this module.

Assessment

1 x 5,000 word research project due in week 1 of the following term (90%)

Engagement (10%)