Art History 428, Fall 2016
The ModernCity
Modern Italian Architecture: Balancing Past, Present, and Future
Instructors:Dr. Michael BzdakDr. Meredith Arms Bzdak
Johnson & JohnsonMills + Schnoering Architects
1 Johnson & JohnsonPlaza200 Forrestal Road, Suite 3A
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08933Princeton, New Jersey 08540
732/524-3698609/681-2480, ext. 104
Course Description:
This course will explore the tension between architectural progress and tradition, which has defined modern Italy from Reunification in 1860 to the present. A range of late 19th and 20th century architectural movements will be studied, with a focus on the design capitals of Rome, Milan, Turin, Florence, and Naples. The mutually beneficial relationship of industrial and architectural design, the use of architecture as a tool to create civic identity, and the influence of design journals on the architectural profession will be highlighted. The course will conclude with a discussion of the pressures of globalization on Italy’s major civic centers, as well as the role of Italian architects on the international stage.
Learning Objectives:
• Ability to identify and analyze stylistic elements of Italian architecture
• Understanding of basicconcepts and vocabulary related to modernism, modernist architecture and twentieth-century Italian culture
• Comprehensive understanding of how Italian architects and architecture are reflections of broader cultural, political and sociological ideas
• Enhancedability to integrate knowledge of Italian Modern Architecture into broader framework of International Modern movements
Course Policies:
Students are expected to attend each of the 14 scheduled classes. Please notify the Instructors if you plan to miss a class. Grades will be assigned based on a student’s attendance andclass participation (20%), as well as on the successful completion of a term paper (30%), a mid-term (30%), and a presentation (20%). Assignments are due as outlined below; late work will not be accepted without prior arrangement with the Instructors.
Textbooks:
Primary textbook will be Terry Kirk’s The Architecture of Modern Italy, vol II (Princeton University Press, 2005). This book is out of print and several copies will be available on reserve at the Art History Library.
Office Hours:
By appointment.
Course Outline/Assignments:
Week 1:Introduction
Week 2:Stile Liberty and Eclectic Historicism
Reading:
Bossaglia, Rossana. The Protagonists of the Italian Liberty Movement,” Journal of
Decorative and Propaganda Art 13:32-52: (1989)
Banham, Reyner. “Futurism and Modern Architecture,” Journal of the Royal Institute of
British Architects 64:4 (1957): 129-139.
Week 3:Precedents for Modernism
Week 4:Novecento
Reading:
Etlin, Richard. Giovanni Muzio and the Milanese Novecento, 1919-38,” Art Journal 43
(Summer 1983): 200-203.
Week 5:Rationalism
Reading:
Ghirardo, Diane. “Italian Architects and Fascist Politics: An Evaluation of the
Rationalists Role in Regime Building,” Journal of the American Society of Architectural
Historians 39:2 (May 1980): 109-127.
Week 6:Architecture and Large-Scale Planning under Mussolini – Part I
Reading:
Antliff, Mark. “Fascism, Modernism, and Modernity,” The Art Bulletin 84:1 (March
2002); 148-69.
Week 7:Architecture and Large-Scale Planning under Mussolini – Part II
Week 8:Mid-Term Exam
Week 9:Industrial Italy
Week 10:Post-War Architecture and Planning
Reading:
Kaufmann, Edgar, “Scraping the Skies of Italy,” Art News, 54:10 (1956): 38-41.
Week 11:Contemporary Italy
Weeks 12, 13, 14:Individual Presentations
Term Papers Due in Class
Mid-Term: The mid-term exam will cover the in-class discussions for the first half of the class as well as course readings.
Term Paper:The term paper, due in class on the last day of class, must have an introduction,body, and conclusion, andprovide abibliography ofsources. The paper must possess a central thesis and develop key points in support of that these.The paper should be 15 - 20pages in length, and footnotes or endnotes should follow Art Bulletin or Chicago Manual of Style format.Thepaper will be evaluatedfor(1) the importanceandoriginality of the approach to your selected topic; (2) clarity in presenting the concepts of your thesis and developing a position or viewpoint; (3) howwell itmakes use of the existing scholarly literature; (4) the overall formal quality;thatis, the quality of the writing for its clarity andoverallimpact, includingerror-free spelling, grammar, usage, and style.
Individual Presentations: Presentation of 15-20 minutes will take place during the final three weeks of the course. Presentations should utilize graphic images (e.g. power point) and should provide the class with a basic understanding of the research that you completed for your term paper as well as your thesis and conclusions. The presentation will be evaluated for (1) clarity in presenting your topic, thesis and conclusions; (2) creativity; (3) overall effectiveness in delivery of information.