Spring 2025: January 27 — May 19
Subject: ARTH
Course Level: 100
Number of Credits: 4 U.S. / 8 ECTS
Max Enrollment: 22
Schedule: Mon, Thu 17:00 – 18:20 CET (Berlin) | 11:00 AM – 12:20 PM EDT (New York)
Distribution Area: Analysis of Art
Language of Instruction: Russian
Course Prerequisites: Russian B2 / Equivalent or higher

This course examines visual arts in Europe (Italy, Netherlands, Germany) between 14th and 16th centuries. It aims to investigate painting, sculpture, and graphic art of the 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 of reality. 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 explain 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.