ARTH 64 Z — Light, Marble, and Miracle: Italian Art from Giotto to Canova
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Emanuele Lugli
Date(s): Apr 8—Jun 3
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—7:20 pm (PT)
Please Note: This course has a different schedule than what was previously published. The course will meet on 8 Wednesdays, April 8 to June 3, 5:30 - 7:20 pm (PT). No class on May 6.
Tuition: $475
Refund Deadline: Apr 10
Unit(s): 1
Status: Open
Quarter: Spring
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 5:30—7:20 pm (PT)
Date(s): Apr 8—Jun 3
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $475
Refund Deadline: Apr 10
Instructor(s): Emanuele Lugli
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Please Note: This course has a different schedule than what was previously published. The course will meet on 8 Wednesdays, April 8 to June 3, 5:30 - 7:20 pm (PT). No class on May 6.
Before Italy’s unification in 1861, the peninsula was celebrated for its artistic achievements. This course traces the evolution of Italian art, from Giotto’s medieval innovations to Canova’s neoclassical elegance. Along the way, we examine towering Renaissance figures—Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael—whose works transformed artistic practice, as well as Caravaggio’s striking realism and Tiepolo’s illusionistic, cloud-filled ceilings. The course also highlights lesser-known artists, including pioneering women such as Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana, whose innovative works museums have only recently begun to recognize. In addition, we consider foreign artists—Dutch, German, French, and English—who traveled to Italy to study antiquities and bask in its sunlight. By surveying celebrated and overlooked creators across centuries, this course offers a journey through Italy’s extraordinary artistic heritage, revealing the social, cultural, and historical forces that shaped its distinctive visual culture.
Students can choose to attend this course on campus or online. Sign up for Section H if you think you might attend class on the Stanford campus at least once. There is no commitment—you can still choose to attend via Zoom for any session. Sign up for Section Z if you know you will exclusively attend via Zoom.
EMANUELE LUGLI
Associate Professor and Director of Public Humanities, Art & Art History, Stanford
Emanuele Lugli is an art historian who teaches and writes about late medieval and early modern art. He is the author of The Making of Measure and the Promise of Sameness; Unità di Misura: Breve Storia del Metro in Italia; and Knots, or the Violence of Desire in Renaissance Florence. Lugli received a PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.