Form and Function: Anatomy and Biomechanics of Italian Renaissance Art

Catalog description

This course will examine Italian art history from the perspectives of an anatomy and physics. Students will learn how humans and animals produce movement through study of anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics. We will see how knowledge of anatomy and physics gained during the Renaissance changed the way the human form and human movement were depicted in art. This will make it clear why masters of the time were driven to discover how the body works so that they could bring vitality and reality to their art. A course project will allow students to pursue one element of the course in depth through a project.