Biography of Artists and Art History

Giorgio Vasari presented the history of art as “lives of the artists” in his publications of 1550 and 1564, but in modern times art historians and critics have often regarded the use of biographical evidence with suspicion. In this course we will examine the lives of three Italian artists who lived during the 16th and 17th centuries: Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), Benvenuto Cellini (1500-71), and Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio (1571-1610), all of whom were homosexual or bisexual. The central question will be the usefulness of biographical data as a tool for interpreting their art. 3 hrs. lect.