Teaching Workshop: Early Christian Iconography: Between Word and Image
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The teaching workshop performs at least a double "professionalizing" function:
1. allows you to acquire a very effective teaching tool for teaching Antiquity and Late Antiquity, relying on an element - the pervasive use of the image - very close to cultural relevance;
2. introduces the iconography of a documentary repertoire - that of "Christian art" - of essential utility for any future profession in the protection, promotion and dissemination of the national historical-artistic heritage.
1. allows you to acquire a very effective teaching tool for teaching Antiquity and Late Antiquity, relying on an element - the pervasive use of the image - very close to cultural relevance;
2. introduces the iconography of a documentary repertoire - that of "Christian art" - of essential utility for any future profession in the protection, promotion and dissemination of the national historical-artistic heritage.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course, the student will be able to collate effectively the first Christian visual documentation with the contemporaneous early Christian literature. He will also be able to recognize the main critical approaches used in the study of paleochristian visual culture and he will use the main methodological tools developed in them. Finally, he will prove that he knows how to extract the ground contents of this type of document.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Giudizio di approvazione
Assessment result: superato/non superato
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The lessons will carry out the following program:
1. At the origins of Christian "art": chronology and Sitz im Leben.
2. The oldest Christian image: code or icon?
3. The oldest Christian visual culture: a codified hermeneutics, a typological art.
4. Literary document and visual document: which historical interaction?
5. Literary document and visual document: which critical interaction?
6. The iconographic lexicon of the first Christian "art": the recovery from the visual culture of imperial Koinē.
7. The iconographic lexicon of the first Christian "art": the elaboration of original themes.
8. The syntax of the first Christian "art": from the subject to the document.
9. The syntax of the first Christian "art": from illustration to manifestos.
10. From the catacombs to the basilicas: the end of the exegetical season of Christian visual culture.
1. At the origins of Christian "art": chronology and Sitz im Leben.
2. The oldest Christian image: code or icon?
3. The oldest Christian visual culture: a codified hermeneutics, a typological art.
4. Literary document and visual document: which historical interaction?
5. Literary document and visual document: which critical interaction?
6. The iconographic lexicon of the first Christian "art": the recovery from the visual culture of imperial Koinē.
7. The iconographic lexicon of the first Christian "art": the elaboration of original themes.
8. The syntax of the first Christian "art": from the subject to the document.
9. The syntax of the first Christian "art": from illustration to manifestos.
10. From the catacombs to the basilicas: the end of the exegetical season of Christian visual culture.
Prerequisites for admission
The Laboratory has no prerequisites.
Teaching methods
Lecturing and discussion of case-studies.
Teaching Resources
Reading the following title is strongly recommended: G. Pelizzari, L'iconografia cristiana delle origini come storia dell'esegesi. Un'ermeneutica codificata, Milano (Paoline) 2023 (Letture cristiane del primo millennio - Supplementi 1) - File open access available online (https://air.unimi.it/handle/2434/972751).
Assessment methods and Criteria
Class discussions and personal work tutored by the teacher.
Professor(s)