Five Renaissance cities

How did the Renaissance in Italy manifest? The answer is dependent on the location in question – republic or city state, specific geographic location, progressive or traditional governance, each city had its own Renaissance with a distinct local style. This course will examine five key Italian cities in the Renaissance period, the republics of Florence and Venice, the city states of Milan and Urbino and the Papal city of Rome. In each city we will identify key artists and their work and consider how the overarching theme of the Renaissance manifested in each place.

Aims of the course

This course aims to:

1. Introduce five major centres of the Renaissance and show their significance in the development of Renaissance Art and Architecture. 
2. Demonstrate how and why different locations developed unique local style. 
3. Consider the importance of patrons in artistic development in each of the centres. 

Content 

This course will examine five key Renaissance centres to consider the importance of location in the development of Renaissance art and architecture. The five chosen cities each present a different model of Renaissance society and we will consider how different political structures changed the nature of patronage and resulted in different forms of art and architecture. We begin with the city of Florence, often called the birthplace of the Renaissance. Florence was a republic, a city of intrigue and assassination whose citizens trod a careful path between opulence and ostentation in their commissions. Rome was the city of the Papacy and each successive Pope sought to create a personal legacy through the commissioning of art and architecture. In Milan the Sforza family ruled as Dukes and presided over a court with strong artistic ties to the north commissioning a variety of artists including Leonardo da Vinci as their dynasty flourished. The city of Venice, founded on the insubstantial mudflats of the lagoon, provided a challenging environment for the construction of palaces whilst trading links to the East gave Venetian commissions a decorative language unlike any other Italian city. We will complete the course with a study of the tiny city-state of Urbino, territory of the Montefeltro family, which despite its small size became a cultural centre in the Renaissance period, attracting leading thinkers and scholars. Through the study of these five diverse locations, you will gain a broad understanding of artistic and architectural development in the Renaissance period, whilst engaging with the output of key artists and architects. 

Presentation of the course 

Teaching will take the form of interactive lectures illustrated with slides. There will be a strong element of discussion in each session. 

Class sessions 

1. Florence - commerce and suspicion in the Republic 
2. Rome - a monument to the glory of the Popes 
3. Milan - power and authority in the warring North 
4. Venice - a city between East and West 
5. Urbino - a gem of Renaissance Humanism 

Learning outcomes 

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. Students will be able to discuss the differences in art and architecture between five key centres of the Renaissance. 
2. Students will understand how important factors in the development of the Renaissance are geographic location and patronage. 
3. Students will be able to name some of the key artists, architects, and patrons of the Renaissance in Italy.  

Required reading 

The online resource from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/-/media/files/learn/for-educators/publications-for-educators/renaissance.pdf 

The expectation is not that it will be read in total but used a as resource to dip-in to areas of interest. 

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.