Space, Light & Movement in Italian Art: From Giotto to Gentileschi

Learn about the evolution of Italian art with our art history short courses in Sydney.

From Giotto’s first experiments with naturalism to the luminous drama of Gentileschi, this captivating course traces how artists used space, light and movement to transform Western art. Space, Light and Movement in Italian Art follows the same timeline as Great Italian Art (and Where to Find It) but focuses instead on artworks now housed in major galleries across Italy and the world.

Across four engaging sessions, you’ll explore how Italian artists redefined visual storytelling — from the mystical worlds of the Middle Ages to the grandeur of the Baroque. Through richly illustrated presentations and guided discussions, you’ll gain the tools to analyse composition, symbolism and historical context, deepening your appreciation for masterpieces you already know or may one day see in person.

This course is ideal for travellers, museum enthusiasts, and anyone intrigued by how artistic innovation reflects cultural, social and political change. It provides an excellent foundation for further study in art history or for those seeking to enhance their enjoyment of gallery visits, travel, and visual culture.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this Italian art course, you should be able to:

• Distinguish the work of individual artists within their evolutionary style.
• Situate artworks within their cultural, historical and socio-political contexts.
• Undertake compositional and symbolic analysis of selected paintings and sculptures.
• Recognise how innovations in space, light and perspective shaped the progression of Italian art.

Course content

This Italian art course covers the following topics and artists:

• Session 1 – The Dawn of the Renaissance.
  Challenge the myth of the “Dark Ages” and discover the beauty of late medieval art as a bridge to the Renaissance. Examine how religious imagery evolved to express new ideas of spirituality and naturalism.
  Featured artists: Fra Angelico, Cimabue, and anonymous medieval masters.
• Session 2 – Humanism and the Discovery of Perspective.
  Explore how humanist philosophy and Alberti’s theory of perspective revolutionised the way artists represented space and the human experience.
  Featured artists: Piero della Francesca, Antonello da Messina, and Andrea Mantegna.
• Session 3 – Mannerism and the Human Body.
  Focus on Raphael and Michelangelo, two of the most influential artists of all time. Learn how their mastery of anatomy, gesture and proportion brought energy and idealism into Renaissance art and laid the foundations for the Baroque.
• Session 4 – Colour and Chiaroscuro. Dive into the rich contrasts and emotional power of the Baroque. Compare the realism of Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi with the classical elegance of Carracci and Reni, and the theatrical splendour of Bernini’s sculpture.

Continue your journey into art and history with our Great Italian Art & Where to Find It course or explore further with European Art History.