Gothic to Renaissance : Architectural Transition in Italy



Overview

The Doge's Palace magnificently displays Venice's own Gothic style, but later work gave it a Renaissance courtyard. How did Italy move on from the Gothic of the great cathedrals of Florence and Milan to re-discover classical form in the age of Brunelleschi and Michelangelo?  With its own rich architectural heritage from Roman times, the incursion of the Gothic had itself been quite remarkable. 

San Francesco in Assisi and the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence illustrate its impact on both church and secular building. In rediscovering its own classical forms, we will consider how examples, including Brunelleschi's churches in Florence and Federico de Montefeltro's palace in Urbino, contributed to Italian Renaissance in architecture. Powerful patrons - the Medici in Florence, the Sforza in Milan, and the leading families of Venice - played a crucial part in this remarkable architectural transformation. 

Programme details

Courses starts: 22 Jan 2025

Week 1: Gothic in Italy - San Francesco in Assisi

Week 2: Florence - Santa Maria Novella and Brunelleschi's Santo Spirito

Week 3: Florence - Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Medici

Week 4: Siena - Palazzo Pubblico and Palazzo Piccolomini

Week 5: Rome - Santa Maria sopra Minerva and the new St Peter's

Week 6: Urbino - Rimini - Mantua

Week 7: Milan - The Cathedral and Bramante's Santa Maria delle Grazie 

Week 8: Pavia - The Certosa and Bramante's Cathedral

Week 9: Venice - Church of the Frari and Santa Maria dei Miracoli

Week 10: Case study - Venice's Palazzo Ducale

Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Mr Keith Hasted

Keith's initial research focus was Italian Renaissance palace architecture, and he has since developed a special interest in the architecture of cathedrals, not only in England but also in mainland Europe. He has taught courses over a number of years in the OUDCE weekly programme and Summer School and for the WEA.

Course aims

To enable course members to investigate the design of both Gothic and Renaissance architecture in Italy and consider how the transition to the new architecture took place.

Course objectives:

1.To explore, and recognise from key examples, how the Gothic architecture of northern Europe came to be adopted in Italy.

2.To consider how the transition to Renaissance architecture related to the study of classical Rome and also the later Romanesque tradition.

Teaching methods

Seminars using visual images

Illustrated handouts for each session

Course group discussions

Individual case studies

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

be able to assess the way in which the Gothic style was embraced in Italy

be able to consider and debate how the Renaissance took over architectural style in four important Italian cities.

Assessment methods

Course members will be asked to consider one Italian city, choosing Gothic and Renaissance buildings -  and will be asked to produce a short essay of around 1500 words.

The case study should consider how Gothic style came to be adopted, and then how this yielded to Renaissance forms in the later work. You might also consider examining a building in which both Gothic and Renaissance elements occur.

A preparatory plan for the essay, of up to 500 words, should be prepared for discussion with the tutor during the course, but will not be part of the formal assessment. 

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support