Florence Maymester 2005
May 10th to May 20th
For ten days this program immerses students in the art, history and culture of central and northern Italy, focusing on the Renaissance (roughly 1400-1600); it also provides an introduction to the politics and architectural programs of Classical Rome. For studio artists, the buildings, sculptures, paintings, and surroundings of Florence and Rome will provide unparalleled opportunities for hands-on training. Florence is widely considered the cradle of the Renaissance and fundamental to the development of “modern” European civilization. Pulling away from two-dimensional text-based learning, this course allows students to experience many of the great architects, painters, and sculptors of the period, including Giotto, Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Masaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Palladio, and Titian. Similarly, the writings of Machiavelli, Ficino, Savonarola, Dante, Petrarch, and Bruni will enable students to understand the fundamental concepts of Renaissance politics, philosophy, and religion within their original physical surroundings. Among numerous locations, the program will include visits to Siena: Cathedral and Baptistery, Palazzo Publico; Pisa: Camposanto, Cathedral and Leaning Tower; Florence: the Uffizi gallery, Palazzo Vecchio, The Duomo and Baptistery, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, Santo Spirito, Santa Maria del Carmine, San Lorenzo, Bargello (the National Sculpture Museum), San Miniato al Monte; Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican (including the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael rooms), the Forum, the Colisseum, the Pantheon, various early Christian and Baroque churches and piazze (and the sculptures by Bernini and paintings by Caravaggio), and more.
This program will be led by Professors Arne Flaten (Art History), Brian Nance (History), and Maura Kenny (Studio Art). Students will stay in Florence for six nights, with day trips to Siena and possibly Pisa and Lucca. We culminate with three days in Rome. Three different courses will be offered: History (HIST 493l), Art History (ARTH 499), and Studio Art (ARTS 399).
Assistant Professor Arne Flaten is an art historian specializing in the Italian Renaissance, though he also teaches Ancient, Medieval, and Baroque art and architecture. A Fulbright scholar and fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery in Washington, Dr. Flaten has published numerous articles, catalogues, and book reviews and is currently completing a book on portrait medals and editing a volume on Studies in Renaissance Art and Culture. Professor Brian Nance is Coastal’s specialist in Renaissance and Reformation history, and was recently Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently writing a book on Renaissance medical narratives and is the author of Turquet de Mayerne as Baroque Physician, a study of the casebooks of a prominent 17th century physician. Nance is also coordinating the College of Fine Arts and Humanities’ new Fellows Program at CCU. Professor Maura Kenny has taught drawing for over 18 years, and is particularly well-suited to teach advanced drawing, on location, in Italy. Kenny’s art has been exhibited in regional, national and international shows, winning many awards; recently, her watercolor painting entitled “Earthbound” won ‘Best of Show’ at the South Carolina Watercolor Society’s Annual Exhibition.
More information on the program
will be forthcoming. It will cost $2,350 not including tuition. This will include
plane fare, lodging, all breakfasts, some dinners at nice restaurants, tickets
to galleries and musuems, and airconditioned charter busses for transport from
Rome to Florence. For descriptions of the available courses and a basic itinerary,
click on the followings links:
ARTS 399
Please contact Dr. Arne Flaten with questions