ARTH4392 · Fine Arts

Painting in Italy at the End of the Middle Ages

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

This course examines major developments in painting on the Italian Peninsula in the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries from its origins in the Greek East to the early stages of the Italian Renaissance, and its stages of transition between the Age of The Image and the Age of Art. Weekly themes adopt a consciously medievalist analytical framework, investigating topics such as materiality, ritual function, competing notions of authenticity, and the rise of the artist. Designed in conjunction with the Fall 2025 exhibition of twenty paintings from a Florentine private collection at BCs McMullen Museum, the course offers students the chance to conduct original research on largely unstudied artworks through close object-based study and critical reflection. Weekly meetings are held at the Museum, and the course includes workshop sessions with area specialists as well as visits to local collections that helped mold the modern notion of medieval Italian art.