ARTH 1140 - FWS: Picturing the Pagan Pantheon in Italian Renaissance Art

Fall. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

First-Year Writing Seminar.

V. Ehrlich.

In the visual landscape of the Italian Renaissance, gods, goddesses and heroes from classical mythology are a ubiquitous presence. They dance across canvases, adorn the interior spaces of palazzos, and frolic through books, prints and drawings. Whether used as political symbols or as models of good (and terrible) behavior, the pagan pantheon enjoyed a special place in the imagination of artists and their patrons. We will analyze and contextualize works of art created during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries by artists such as Botticelli, Mantegna and Raphael, for patrons including Isabella d’Este and the Medici. You will utilize visual analysis, primary sources and secondary studies in order to construct written arguments that take into consideration social, political and historical contexts of the works in question.