5th Century BC Greco-Roman Culture and its Influences until the Renaissance

We will first focus on Greek Philosophy and the birth of democracy. We will speak about sculpture and particularly the theme of Venus accross the centuries, as well as architecture. We will then discuss the influence of Greek culture on the Roman Empire with a special focus on Roman mosaics with mythological themes, and the end of the Roman Empire and the birth of new symbols and new Christian religious figures in the catacombs, sarcophagi and basilicas. We will also analyse the evolution of the theme of female nudity in the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and beyond. In this part we also consider the sixth-century Christian mosaics in Ravenna, Italy, the first example of transformation of Roman art, with new symbols and sacred figures. The mosaics of the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice in the fourteenth century will end this part of the course, with Andrea Mantegna's painting, an art that seamlessly integrates the Greco-Roman religious images. The art of Michelangelo and the metamorphosis of the Greco-Roman will conclude the course.

This course may be applied toward the MA in Mediterranean Studies