| CODE | ART2000 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Art in Malta 1: Late Medieval to Early Renaissance | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Art and Art History | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit is concerned with the Christian and Islamic cross currents that conditioned the artistic profile of the Maltese Islands in the period between the Norman conquest of 1091 and the coming of the Knights of St John in 1530. The art historical discussion takes as its focal reference the strategic location of the islands in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea and the influx of artistic stimuli from Greco-Latin Sicily and Muslim North Africa. The islands are considered as essentially Sicilian outposts albeit with characteristics that gave them an identity of their own. This was particularly notable in the countryside villages where North African influence was long lasting. The city or civitas was, on the other hand, an enclave of Latin sophistication with a record of informed artistic patronage that put it on a level with the cities of Sicily and South Italy. Special consideration will therefore be given to the Norman cultural & artistic imprint on Sicily and the resultant synthesis of essentially Mediterranean and other cultural cross currents. These included Crusader and essentially Greek and Romanesque elements that helped condition the Mediterranean artistic profile. Another important consideration will be the 15th and early 16th centuries with special reference to the synthesis of late Gothic and incipient early Renaissance elements. The art of the school of Antonello da Messina and of the Gagini family of sculptors will be considered in a broad Mediterranean and European context. The lectures will show that Malta before the Knights was not a cultural backwater. Study-Unit Aims: The principal aims of the study-unit are: - to appreciate Malta as a central European case study of conflicting artistic currents from the Latin West and Muslim North Africa; - to better understand the mechanics of the Central Mediterranean and the Art that emerged thereof; - to stress the fact that Malta before the Knights was not an artistic backwater. The city or the civitas, known to the natives as Mdina, was an enclave of artistic sophistication that benefitted from well informed patronage that resulted in works of art of good quality. 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - make the student appreciate that art in Malta before the knights benefited from well-informed patronage resulting in quality works of art; - better understand the mechanics of the Central Mediterranean cultural cross-currents and the way in which they conditioned art and architecture; - achieve a sound understanding of an art and architecture of Late Medieval Malta in the context of the socio-economic and religious realities that shaped the destiny of a Central Mediterranean archipelago; - to come to the realization that far from being a cultural backwater, the Maltese islands benefitted of a cultural sophistication that put it on a par with the city communes of Sicily and south Italy. - be better equipped to put into better socio-political and religious context Mediterranean late Medieval and Early Renaissance Art; - come to better terms with the Early Renaissance in the south and Central Mediterranean basin; - realise that the Renaissance reached Malta before the coming of the Knights in 1530. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - know what art and architecture was produced in the Late Middle Ages; - be in a position to appreciate Malta as a centre of artistic cross-currents; - better appreciate the cultural and artistic interactions of the Christian and Muslim world; - have the ability to put the art and architecture of Late Medieval Malta in the Central Mediterranean artistic context; - comprehend what the existing art and architecture in Malta was like when the Knights of the Order of St John arrived in 1530 Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - M. Buhagiar, The Late Medieval Art and Architecture of the Maltese Islands, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, Malta, 2005. - C. Dalli, The Medieval Millennium, Midsea Books, Malta, 2006. - M. Buhagiar, The Christianisation of Malta: Catacombs, Cult-Centres and Churches to 1530 Oxford, 2007. - C. Vella, The Mediterranean Context of the Art and Architecture of Medieval Malta 1091-1530, MA thesis, University of Malta, 2010. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Charlene Vella (Co-ord.) |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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