Mapping the Renaissance: Digital Cartography and Art History

How has geography shaped artistic production, circulation, and reception? In this course students will be introduced to digital cartography and spatial analysis through the lens of art history. For centuries, artists, collectors, and artworks alike have circulated across the globe, significantly impacting the creation of art as well as the writing of art history. Through a combination of readings, discussions, tutorials and hands-on projects, we will explore how digital mapping tools are used to visualize spatial data and enrich our understanding of artworks, artists, and cultural networks in the early modern world (1300–1700). Students will learn how to develop, analyze, visualize, and interpret cultural and spatial data while critically reflecting on the promises and limitations of digital approaches in humanities research.