This course explores the visual culture of early modern Rome through the prism of the papacy and urban experience. From the opening of the fifteenth century—which saw the former capital of the ancient Roman Empire reduced to a population of 15,000—through the increasingly powerful pontificates of the mid- to late-fifteenth century, through the worldly reigns of Popes Julius II and Leo X, to the reforming Catholic Church of the later sixteenth century, the fortunes of the Eternal City and the Papacy remained inextricably linked. We will examine how art, architecture, and urban development played a crucial role in struggles for power in Renaissance Rome, from the time of Martin V, the first pope to return to Rome after the Schism, to the urban restructuring of the city spearheaded by Sixtus V. One of the primary themes in the course will be the continuing impact of the Roman Empire on the visual culture of Renaissance Rome, particularly how successive popes mined the city’s ancient cultural heritage for the purposes of promoting the Church. In addition to the patronage of the popes, we will examine the visual and textual evidence of daily life in the urban environment, from the workings of city hospitals to the extraordinary preparations made for Jubilee years. We will be looking at a wide range of cultural production: architecture and urban schemes, fresco cycles, altarpieces, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, spectacles, festivals, and processions. Along the way we will explore some of the most famous artistic projects produced in the period: the papal apartments frescoed by Raphael, Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel, and the building of the new St. Peter’s, along with many less-well-known. No previous art history experience required.
