Focus on: Giotto
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
Course Code: VB704
Duration: 2 sessions (over 2 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Center for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This weekend art history course explores the life and works of one of the most important artists of the early Renaissance: Giotto. Hailed as probably the most influential artist of the entire Renaissance, said also to be equal to great artists of antiquity, Giotto was not only one of the earliest artist to be written about within his lifetime, but he would also be held up as the ideal by Italian painting critics for the next five centuries.
We will analyse his major works such as the Arena Chapel and his frescos in the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels in the church of Santa Croce; discuss his relationship with his patrons; his relationship to Dante and Boccaccio and his legacy.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
• The life and works of Giotto
• Close analysis of key works such as his frescos for the Arena Chapel
• His legacy and influences on the Renaissance and High Renaissance.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Describe the life and works of Giotto
• Participate in discussions about Giotto’s key works with confidence
• Analyse the influence of Giotto on subsequent artists.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information, and will be invited to take part in group discussion.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught online with slide presentations and group discussions. Handouts will be provided by your tutor to support your learning on the course; these handouts will be available online/digitally for download, not printed out for you.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You might wish to buy a notebook. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list given out in class.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
You might also be interested in:
VB290 - Focus on: the art of Siena
VB680 - Focus on: Botticelli
VB620 - Focus on: Leonardo da Vinci.
Leslie Primo has spent more than 15 years giving lectures to the general public at the National Gallery for the Information and Education departments. During this time he graduated with a degree in History of Art and an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck, University College of London. In his studies he specialised in early Medieval and Renaissance studies, including, Italian Renaissance Drawing, Art and Architecture in Europe 1250-1400 Art and Architecture in Europe 1400-1500, Medici and Patronage, Narrative Painting in the Age of Giotto, and the work of Peter Paul Rubens focusing on his paintings of the Judgement of Paris, and Greek Myth in paintings. He is also an accredited Art Society lecturer.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
