The Art of the Friars in Early Renaissance Italy (c.1250-1470) at The Courtauld Institute of Art

The Art of the Friars in Early Renaissance Italy looks at the new mendicant orders of Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinian Hermits and Carmelites (otherwise known as the friars), who were the leading patrons for religious art in early renaissance Italy, where their monumental churches dominated the city skylines. With their new saints and their engagement with the wealthy urban elite of bankers and merchants, the Friars brought major changes in religious devotion and spirituality. This, combined with the spirit of competition between the different orders, generated new kinds of art works and a rapid development in the iconography and style of altarpieces, fresco cycles and tombs. The Friars commissioned all the leading artists of the day. The course looks at frescoes and panel paintings in Assisi, Florence and Siena, including works by Giotto, Duccio, Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti; Fra Angelico’s frescoes in San Marco, Florence; Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross fresco cycle in Arezzo; and the Brancacci Chapel in the Carmine. The course includes visits to the National Gallery, the Courtauld Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum.