INQ-270 | Does Art Imitate Life?

Full Title: Does Art Imitate Life?

Topic Description:

There is a popular tendency in the twenty-first century to see works of art as self-expression: the representation of an artist’s personal interests, experiences and mind-set at a particular moment in time. But is this the best approach for understanding works of art produced before our era? In this class we will study the lives and works of painters and sculptors from early Renaissance Italy (14th and 15th centuries) to explore whether artists’ lives can explain what is represented in their art.

Counts as Global? Yes

Topic Approved: September 2012