Kent in Rome – Raphael events 2016

rome-landscape

To coincide with the death of Raphael 496 years ago, the University of Kent held one of its annual European alumni events at the American University of Rome (AUR) on Wednesday 6 April 2016. This event was the second of a planned series of annual workshops building up to the 500th anniversary celebrations of Raphael’s death in 2020.

Two events took place at the University of Kent in Rome in April 2016; the first was a lecture delivered by Professor Arnold Nesselrath to mark the 496th anniversary of Raphael’s death, which presented the principal findings of the 30 year restoration campaign that he oversaw in the Raphael Stanze. This was then followed by a drinks reception. The next day, our Academic Director of Rome programmes, Professor Tom Henry, organised a study excursion to Tivoli for MA staff and students of Art History and Classics courses to mark the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s visit to Tivoli in April 1516. The study excursion visited the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor, the Villa d’Este and the Villa Adriana before returning to central Rome.

Professor Arnold Nesselrath’s lecture entitled “In the light of Raphael” focussed on how Raphael made use of light in different ways to convey emotion and depth. The lecture was well attended by AUR staff and students, alumni and University of Kent staff and was followed by a drinks and canape reception in the garden of AUR. This presented an excellent networking opportunity for guests to mingle and discuss the lecture over some delicious Roman catering!

The following day, the study excursion saw 35 students and staff board the coach to Tivoli, a city north-east of Rome. The first site we visited was the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor, only recently opened to the public in May 2015, located at the foot of Tivoli. Within the 3,000 square meters of the sanctuary is a large sacred area in the shape of a square, a theatre, and a temple which originally housed the statue of Hercules. The group then went on to the Villa d’Este, a Renaissance palace with stunning gardens and water fountains, which was originally built in 1550 for Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, the son of Lucrezia Borgia and Alfonso d’Este. The garden is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its significance in the history of garden design, and its fountains find acclaim worldwide.

At this point, the group stopped for lunch at the Ristorante Sibilla, beside the Temple of Vesta. Lunch was served al fresco under a canopy of wisteria, looking out over the falls of the Aniene river in the blazing sunshine. Afterwards, the group walked around the Temple of Vesta and saw beautiful panoramic views down to the Villa Gregoriana. Our last visit was to the Villa Adriana, the site chosen by Emperor Hadrian for a huge palace set in acres of countryside. The group wandered around the extensive ruins which included a theatre, a stadium, many water features and thermal baths. Perhaps the most awe-inspiring site was the Canopus- a large rectangular pool measuring 121.4 metres long by 18 metres wide. The pool gained its name from an island in the Nile in Egypt that was the sanctuary of Serapis, the god of the Underworld, and is surrounded by chalk replicas of the original Roman copies of Greek sculptures from the Severa age.

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Both the lecture and study excursion attracted a number of academics from various institutions, which provided a valuable opportunity for students and indeed staff to discuss what Raphael would have seen on his visit to Tivoli. Each location throughout the study excursion prompted a new area of discussion and encouraged future collaborations between AUR and the University of Kent; such as developing studies in Renaissance Art and Classics programmes.

Dr Philippa Jackson wrote that “the mixture of expertise of the professors, the ability to discuss across humanistic disciplines and periods, and the enthusiasm of all was an exemplary example of the importance of site visits and time for discussion which have always aided the development of such studies. As a cultural historian I was particularly interested in the archaeological knowledge imparted and a chance to discuss matters of the Renaissance in the light of the classical past. I would like to thank everyone involved in the arrangement of the lecture at the American university and the trip to Tivoli.”

Arrivederci Roma

Arrivederci Roma

The University of Kent in Rome Spring Term is over and we’ve said our goodbyes after a fabulous 12 weeks in Rome. Our 12 students were quickly into their strides with lectures and visits. We started all together in the Forum, and we ended all together at Tivoli – lunch under the purple wisteria at the Temple of Sibilla was spectacular (watch out for the video once it has been edited and uploaded on the Kent in Rome website!).

The Ancient Historians and Archaeologists were often in the Forum, and had been out to Tivoli earlier in the term with Dr Valerie Higgins, so they were well prepared. Prof Ray Laurence had also arranged a series of other visits, and they all attended the Roman Archaeology Conference in March.

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Prof. Ray Laurence teaching in the Forum

Meanwhile the Art Historians had some astonishing visits: to the restoration scaffolds in front of Raphael’s frescoes in the Sala di Costantino in the Vatican, and to Raphael’s loggia and the Cappella Niccolina (all usually off-limits and all thanks to Prof Arnold Nesselrath), as well as to the rest of the Vatican Museums. We visited so many museums and churches and exhibitions across Rome, and the students’ end of term presentations in the church of S.M. della Pace were exemplary. Visits out of Rome to Ostia, Orvieto, Spello, Perugia and Florence were memorable, as was Kate Ganz’s tour of the Palazzo Farnese.

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Prof. Tom Henry teaching ‘Raphael’ in the Vatican Museums

At the end of term Kent in Rome hosted a lecture by Prof. Arnold Nesselrath ‘In the light of Raphael’ and a study visit to Tivoli, 496 years after Raphael’s visit with Castiglione, Bembo and others. This visit – see also the report at https://www.kent.ac.uk/events/europe/rome.html – brought together students from all of our programmes, together with academics spanning the range of areas that we teach in order to create a dialogue between the Ancient Historians, Archaeologists and Art Historians.

We’ll be back in January 2017 with a new cohort of students, but for now, in the words of the song, it is: Arrivederci Roma!

Prof. T.F.K. Henry

Professor of History of Art

Director, University of Kent, Rome

www.kent.ac.uk/rome

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The Art Historians in Ostia with Dr. Claudia La Malfa

 

Art History trip to Florence

The Rome MA History of Art students spent two days in late February racing around Florence in the company of Prof Tom Henry (Academic Director, Kent in Rome) and Dr Claire Van Cleave (independent Raphael scholar). They tracked down where Raphael is said to have lived when in the city, the original locations of his paintings and of the many works of art he studied whilst there. The question repeatedly asked was ‘What would Raphael have seen when he came through that door?’. Everyone got stuck in to a deeply thought-provoking discussion.

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Kent’s Academic Director for Rome guest speaker on Italian Radio

On Sunday 14 February Professor Tom Henry discussed Luca Signorelli’s Lamentation over the Dead Christ in Cortona on RAI 3 (Italian state radio) in a series entitled the Museo Nazionale. Links follow below (n.b. this programme is in Italian). The short English summary is that this picture, in which the figure of Christ may have been based on the artist’s drawing after his adult son, assumed special importance to Signorelli after his son’s death later that year.

The programme

http://www.museoradio3.rai.it/dl/portali/site/page/Page-efbb04ef-63af-4921-9f47-50dbbae42aeb.html

And the podcast

http://www.radio3.rai.it/dl/portaleRadio/media/ContentItem-92095eac-d754-4147-9777-ae55ee451c25.html

 

 

 

1 March 2016 – Postgraduate event at Canterbury campus

Come and talk to specialist academics and admissions staff about postgraduate study at our campuses in the UK and specialist centres in Tonbridge and across Europe.

Canterbury campus:

  • Tuesday 1 March 2016, 5-7pm. For information about all our postgraduate programmes in Canterbury, Medway, Tonbridge, Paris, Brussels, Athens and Rome. Book your place [5]

Kent’s open events give you the chance to:

  • Find out more about Kent’s £9m postgraduate scholarship fund
  • Get all the latest information about the new £10,000 loans for Master’s students
  • Get answers to your questions about postgraduate taught and research opportunities at Kent
  • Meet current postgraduate students
  • Speak to staff for expert advice about the application process, funding, accommodation and future career options
  • Talk to the Graduate School about how they support all Kent’s postgraduate students with additional training, study facilities and social events

Alternatively, our Canterbury and Medway campuses are open for informal and guided visits, we hold open events in Paris and Brussels, or you can make an appointment to visit an academic school or our European centres.

New year message from Academic Director of Rome programmes

BUON ANNO

Kent in Rome’s MA programmes kicked off over the last couple of weeks in fine, mild weather. In addition to various classes, activities and social events up at AUR, we leapt into our programme of on-site visits to the Forum, the Campus Martius, the Vatican Museums (including Fra Angelico’s Cappella Niccolina which is normally closed) and various churches. The students are settled into busy schedules with lots of assigned work but seem to be enjoying themselves and we have some very interesting visits ahead. I am particularly looking forward to taking all of the students to Tivoli in April, and before that the art historians have trips to Florence, Orvieto, Perugia and Spello as well numerous visits in Rome.

Professor Tom Henry

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Photo caption: Prof Ray Laurence leading a visit to the Forum in January 2016

2-4 December, Rome 2015-16 Student Orientation Trip

Students registered for our unique Canterbury-Rome taught MA programmes in History of Art, Roman History & Archaeology or Ancient History enjoyed a three-day orientation trip to Rome, visiting our Rome Centre – AUR, exploring the city and a guided lecture to the Museo dell’Ara Pacis delivered by the University of Kent’s Dr Dunstan Lowe.

All costs for this trip, organised by our Administration team, are included in the overall tuition fees for the programme, so no extra cost to the students whatsoever.

Kent, Rome’s Professor Ray Laurence on ancient Roman roads, Radio 4

Professor Ray Laurence, from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, who also delivers a module at the University’s Rome centre, will feature on BBC Radio 4’s Ancient Ways With Bettany Hughes on Friday 4 December 2016 at 11.00.

Bettany Hughes is a broadcaster and writer. In the programme, Bettany follows the ancient Roman road to Istanbul, tracing its route through Albania, Macedonia and Greece, exploring how the Egnatian Way helped to shape Europe and the Middle East. In the first episode, she journeys from the Adriatic shores of Albania to the Macedonian plain where Alexander The Great grew up.

Ray was interviewed for the programme on the contribution of Roman roads in the on-going definition of the geography of Europe, migration in the Roman Empire much higher than the levels experienced in Europe today as well as Cicero’s exile in Thessaloniki.

The series consists of three episodes, and will be found on the BBC’s iPlayer [1].

Visiting Lecturer from Rome joins the University of Kent, School of Arts

The University of Kent has conferred Visiting Lecturer status on Dr Claudia La Malfa.

History of Art at Kent is delighted to welcome Dr Claudia La Malfa.

After studying at the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, and completing her PhD at the Warburg Institute in London, Dr La Malfa has taught at the Universities of St Andrew’s, Bologna and at the American University of Rome. She lives in Rome and teaches for Kent in the History of Art (Canterbury and Rome) MA programme.

Dr La Malfa’s principal interests are in painting and sculpture in 15th and 16th century Rome with a focus on grotesque decoration, on ancient and modern sculpture, and drawing. In 2016 she will teach Discovering Rome in Rome with Prof. Tom Henry; and her appointment is for the next three years.