Aims

Acquire basic knowledge of the historiography of the concept of ornament, linked to the general theories of art, thus broadening the students' aesthetic approach. Develop a method of observation, analysis and description of ornament through different periods and cultures in order to stimulate and reinforce the students' ability to recognise and understand styles.

Main themes

Theoretical and methodological definitions.
History of ornament in the history of styles.
Heritage from Antiquity.
Blossoming of ornament in medieval times.
Issues associated with Gothic-Renaissance ornament.
The Renaissance, theories and developments up to the modernist crisis

Content and teaching methods

History of the interactions between the theory and history of ornament and stylistic developments. Methodology is based on the corpus of founding texts of the study of ornament and on case studies illustrated by slides shown in the lecture-hall or by field visits (sites, museums)

Other credits in programs