Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

This course will examine the unique artistic and historical identities of ten Italian cities that helped shape the course of Western civilization from Antiquity through the early modern period. Each of these cities enjoyed periods of political, economic, and cultural prominence and left an indelible thumbprint upon history. Much of the extraordinary artistic and architectural production that accompanied each city’s “golden age” still survives today and serves as testimony to their former greatness.

Course Objectives:
- To bring historical cities to life through a “hands on” approach to the works of art that best define their uniqueness.
- To understand the role that the historical context of each city’s formative period had on its development.
- To learn to appreciate the rich and influential aspects of Italian art from ancient through Baroque.
- To develop the fundamental skills of art historical analysis that include formal analysis and iconographic interpretation.
- To develop an ability to interact in a personal and intimate manner with works of art and architecture and their surroundings.

Lecture 7 – Mantua: Princes and Painters
The northern Italian city of Mantua was a thriving artistic center during the Renaissance, when the city was ruled over by the Gonzaga family. Not only were the Gonzaga great lords, but also great patrons of the arts. They brought great artists such as Andrea Mantegna, Leon Battista Alberti and Giulio Romano to Mantua as they sought to transform the medieval city into a leading Renaissance court. This lecture will examine the extraordinary art, architecture, and history of this magnificent northern Italian Renaissance city.

Lecture 8 – Milano: Leonardo da Vinci and The Sforza Court
Seeking to soften the militant and belligerent reputation of the Lombard capital city, Duke Ludovico “the Moor” Sforza sought the services of an extraordinary artist and inventor from Florence by the name of Leonardo da Vinci. The artist’s arrival in Milan in 1481 marked a turning point in Milan’s history, introducing the Renaissance to the great northern city. The 18 years that Leonardo spent in Milan were some of his most productive, and this lecture examines those works produced while Leonardo was in Milan including the Virgin of the Rocks, the Vitruvian Man, the Lady with an Ermine, and, of course, the Last Supper.

Lecture 9 – Florence: The Art of Magnificence
Renaissance Florence was the birthplace of the modern world and is home to many of its greatest artistic treasures. Florentine artists such as Brunelleschi, Leonardo, and Michelangelo revolutionized art and architecture, and families like the Medici dominated European finance and politics. This lecture will examine the art and architecture of the 15th and early 16th centuries to discover how this city invented the art of magnificence.

Lecture 10 – Venice: The Most Serene Republic
Venice was the longest lasting Republic in history. The city’s privileged position as cultural and economic bridge between the Eastern and Western Christian world contribute to the uniqueness of Venice. The art and architecture in Venice clearly display this combination of Islamic, Byzantine, and Classical influences, while Venetian painting was perhaps the only school to rival that of Florence and Rome. This lecture will examine the buildings and paintings of Venice, and the history of perhaps the most singular city in the world.

Lecture 11 – Correggio and Northern Italian Renaissance Painting
There is much, much more to Parma than its culinary traditions. Parma is also home to some of the world’s greatest art treasures. Its twelfth-century cathedral is breathtaking, and its unique multi-tiered baptistery is one of the icons of Italian Romanesque architecture. But the artist who put Parma on the artistic map was the painter known as Correggio (1489-1534). Although Correggio is not as well-known as Florentine rock-star artists such as Leonardo, Botticelli and Michelangelo, amongst Renaissance connoisseurs he is considered a giant. This lecture will examine the unique combination of northern Italian medieval and Renaissance art and architecture that make Parma an artistic treasure.

Lecture 12 – Rome: A City fit for a Pope
With the return of the Papacy to Rome in the late 14th century, the city began a long process of recovery from the collapse of the Roman Empire, which occurred a millennium earlier. The pope would assert his role not only as the spiritual, but also as the earthly leader of the Latin Christian world. During the Renaissance, popes would begin to emulate the emperors of Antiquity and began to appropriate much of their artistic language. With the reconstruction of St. Peter’s and the Vatican Palace, the pope now also had an appropriate seat from which to rule as the “Father of Kings”. This lecture will examine the major works of the Vatican collection including the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Stanze and the Roman Antiquities. We shall also discuss the architecture and construction history of the most important church in the Catholic world – Saint Peter’s Basilica.

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