Semester: Spring 2024
Professor: Maria Chernysheva
Subject: ARTH
Distribution Area: Analysis of Art
Core module III (BCB): Renaissance Art and Thought
Cross-Listing(s): no
Course Level: 200
Number of Bard Credits: 4
Course Title: The Art and Thought of the Renaissance: Mimesis in Artistic Theory and Practices
Max Enrollment: 22
Schedule: Tue Thu 4:10 – 5:30 PM Berlin (CET)
Language of Instruction: Russian

This course examines visual arts in Europe between the 14th and 16th centuries. It aims to investigate painting, sculpture and graphic art of the Proto-Renaissance and Renaissance through the prism of mimesis – the key concept in the artistic theory of that time. We will start with the “invention” of mimesis in Greek Antiquity as a complex intellectual and empirical process of artistic study and representation. Our next focus will be on the rediscovery of mimesis by Renaissance culture. Finally, we will discuss how the idea of mimesis was applied to explaining artists’ main achievements and contributed to the centuries-long “dispute” between Painting, Sculpture, Poetry, and Music.

Guidelines for the Statement of Purpose:

Craft a reflective statement of purpose explaining your interest in the Smolny Beyond Borders online course. The file should be saved with your name and course title as the filename and uploaded accordingly. Your statement’s clarity and substance will significantly influence our selection. Convey your motivations and aspirations for this course succinctly but thoroughly. Kindly write your statement in the course’s Language of Instruction.

Application Portal Instructions:

1) Use the Latin alphabet for all entries on the portal, including your name. If the Language of Instruction is Russian, you may use Cyrillic only within the Statement of Purpose file, and the title of the file should still be in English.
2) Refrain from using email addresses associated with Russian or Belarusian educational institutions.
3) While completing the “Required Information” section, ensure you fill in the “Province” field for your address.
4) Provide an address outside Russia or Belarus in both the “Required Information” and “Geographic Location Confirmation” sections of the “Online Course Application”. This ensures we can send your transcript.
5) You must press the “Sign” button twice during the application.
6) If you hold a bachelor’s degree, select “4th+” in the “Academic Year (online)” section.
7) Applicants either unaffiliated or affiliated with educational institutions in Russia and Belarus should list ‘Smolny Beyond Borders’ as their educational institution.
8) In the student ID section, enter ‘SBB’.
9) Consider drafting your motivation letter ahead of time. Save it as a separate file with this format: LastName_FirstName_CourseTitle for a smoother application process.