Portraits of Venice. Architectures in art-works of the Modern Age: course description
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Maddalena Scimemi, Venice International University
The course proposes a survey of architecture in Venice between XVI-XVIII century and explores the subject by focusing on certain masterpieces of Venetian painting, in which a significant part of the representation is dedicated to the shape of the city. The chronological boundaries are due to the fact that in this period – the so called Modern Age - Venice maintains almost unchanged its urban structure, before the end of the Republic and the development of the city in the XIX century.
The shape of Venice has inspired many artists who worked there, and left several pictures of Venetian daily life and public ceremonies of the past: among them can be found many portraits of the most important buildings, as well as of corners and open spaces which today still feature the city. The architectural backgrounds in works of artists such as Carpaccio,Tintoretto and Giovan Battista Tiepolo, the “vedute” of the city by Canaletto or Guardi will introduce single existing fabrics and parts of “sestieri” (the six districts of Venice), selected to show different ways of building in diacronic sequence, and to explain the main changes in politics, economy and taste which established those differences. Starting from the bi-dimensional images of one building or a group of buildings – as campi (squares), calli (streets) and fondamente (waterfronts) – and finishing with the reality itself, the course is conceived in order to increase the analytic attitude of the students, using architecture as a common field for discussion and comparison. Lectures will provide introductory information about the artist and his historical period, followed by the analysis of the architectures represented and of their context (patronage, historical and economical conditions, sources of inspiration, etc.). Seminars on site will provide a deeper level of knowledge of the art-works and of the reality, through the visit of galleries, museums and the city itself.
