The course will focus on two of the most relevant figures of the Italian Renaissance, Pietro Aretino (1492-1556) and Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) in their relationships with the emerging book market and the fashioning of the artist at the time. Traditionally considered as icons of Anti-Classicism, Aretino and Cellini represent the transition of the intellectual professionals from the philosopher to the technician. Rather than being “the one who knows”, the artist becomes “the one who is able to do”. Strongly involved in the religious debate of the time, and aiming a more naturalistic approach to human life, the two authors will be studied in their novelty in terms of biography, works, ideas, language, and style. The course aims to introduce students to a relevant, but usually ignored, aspect of the Italian Renaissance, its multiple and contradictory nature.

Pietro Aretino

Benvenuto Cellini