DANTE AND THE VISUAL ARTS COURSE OUTLINE

• 11 March 2021 at 6pm CET

Art in the Time of Dante: The visual arts were undergoing a profound revolution during Dante’s lifetime. He was greatly interested in the artistic culture of his time and incorporated some of these interests into the Divine Comedy. In this conversation we will look at the major movements and artists of Dante's time (early-14th century), including Cimabue, Giotto, Duccio, Simone Martini, and Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti.

• 18 March 2021 at 6pm CET

Illustrations of the Divine Comedy: This session will explore a number of the most fascinating illustrated versions of the Divine Comedy throughout the centuries, including ones by Botticelli, Gustave Dorè, William Blake, and Salvador Dalì, among others.

• 25 March 2021 at 6pm CET

Dante and the Divine Comedy in Art: Dante’s literary depiction of the afterlife had an extraordinary impact on the visual arts—from renderings of hellish punishments to images of the dammed, the poem left a lasting impact on both painting and sculpture all across Europe. In addition, during the 19th century, Dante’s life and his works would take on a new and vital cultural and artistic significance both in Italy and abroad. This session looks at the influence of Dante’s life and work on the visual arts from the Gothic to the Pre-Raphaelites.

Each 90-minute conversation will take place live on Zoom—a recording will also be sent to all participants the following day with access for the duration of the course, so no need to worry if you can't make the live.

The course will be conducted in English and all levels of Dante and/or art-history knowledge (or non!) are welcome.

The cost for the course is E. 60 and includes all three sessions. It is not possible to join individual sessions.

You will receive the Zoom link two days prior to the beginning of the course.

'Dante and the Visual Arts' is led by Alexandra Lawrence, an expert in the language and art of Italy. Based in Florence, Alexandra is a lecturer of art history and contemporary Italian cultural studies, and is an accredited guide for Italian museums and archeological sites. While completing her graduate work in Italian Language and Literature, she concentrated primarily on writers and poets and their relationship to the visual arts. In 2020, she founded Forma Sideris, a space to have guided conversations about Italy and its art, literature, culture, and history.