Lecture in English by Robert Brennan

In retrospect, scholars have often studied the Italian Renaissance as the cradle of modern art.  But what did it mean to describe art as ‘modern’ during the period itself?  Following period usage of this word (in Latin, modernus), Dr Brennan has found that a concept of modern art (ars moderna) was in fact widespread throughout late medieval Europe, and played an indispensable role in Florentine art writing from the 1390s forward, especially with regard to Giotto’s legacy.  

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