ARTH 391 - Love, Lust, and Desire in Renaissance Art

FC ARHU WADV

4 credits
During the Renaissance new technologies and scientific advances brought about new understandings of desire and sexuality, which had results in the representational arts. At the same time, many values associated with love and sexuality marked a continuum with the preceding period, including ideas about marriage. We will explore how early modern Europeans of different social status thought about love, lust, and desire in a range of different areas (social, political, religious, “medical,” “scientific,” etc.) and how attitudes in these areas affected artistic production and representation, and related to lived experiences. Field trip(s) required. Recommended Preparation: one intermediate (200-level, formerly 300-level) course in art history.