LEARNING TUSCANY
ART AND CULTURE IN ITALY
Ornamentation in Northern Italian Art
Taught by UT professor Michael Mogavero
Gothic and Renaissance Art and Architecture in
Central Italy
Taught by UT professor Ann Johns
In Italian culture, life and art are inseparable. Countless examples illustrate this—the still-life quality of window displays in Florence, the artisanal care taken by a Sienese stoneworker replacing part of a medieval byway, the sculpted harmony of the Tuscan countryside. We cannot experience these essential qualities of Italian life in a classroom. Only with time and careful observation can we begin to absorb the richness and rhythm of life, and art, in Italy.
This summer program focuses on the art and architecture of Tuscany and central Italy. Students live in the historic facility of Santa Chiara in the town of Castiglion Fiorentino; they take an art history course and a studio course taught by faculty from the UT Department of Art and Art History. These courses focus on art and experience. How do we, as contemporary viewers, experience art of the past? How can daily drawing and painting help inform and enrich this experience? Group discussions and visits to other cities, such as Florence, Siena, and Rome, serve to frame student experiences within a broader view of Italy. The integrated approach of the program balances carefully designed trips with individual and small group projects in order to explore the forces that shaped Italian cities and landscapes.
UT FACULTY LEADERS
Students explore myriad ways of seeing the significance of Tuscany through careful collaboration by the two UT faculty. Michael Mogavero is a painter whose work references numerous characteristics from the Italian Renaissance. Ann Johns’ research and teaching focus on Italian art and architecture from the late medieval and early Renaissance periods. Visits to places in and around Castiglion Fiorentino, as well as 1longer excursions to nearby cities such as Florence, Siena, Orvieto, Arezzo and Cortona, provide various experiences of both Tuscany and Umbria, two of Italy’s most art-rich and historic regions. Additionally, students and faculty make an extended visit to Rome.