Rome, A: Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 21 (C

Excerpt from Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 21

In this respect the case of Rome is not unique in the history of art. Critics of Renaissance art likewise must define the term Renaissance and demon strate its usefulness as an historical category, before they can deal with the various productions of this period as a closed group. Their task may be less difficult than the problems presented by Roman art, insofar as the nucleus of Renaissance art, in Italy at least, defines itself well by way of its style and intellectual climate. Questions arise, however, as to the limits of the category. Shall we say that Renaissance art begins with Giotto or Masaccio Is it a purely Italian movement or are we justified in speaking ofa Northern Renaissance? What modifications are needed to impart to the latter term a meaning consistent with reality? The answer to these questions is not self-evident; they require clarification. Similar questions are in place, and even more pressing, with regard to Baroque art Where does it begin? Where are its limits? What, in fact, is Baroque, an historical period or merely a trend within an historical period, the seventeenth century Such questions are not unlike those which Roman art puts before us. The term modern art is similarly ill defined and'in need of discussion, in spite of the fact that its object forms a part of our contemporary existence. Not all contemporary art is modern. In each of these instances the validity of a critical or historiographic category must first be proven, and its precise limitations defined before actual materials can be ascribed to it. We must draw the line between that which is or is not modern or baroque in art. So we must decide what we wish to call Roman. The distinction expresses our own critical evaluation of a work of art. Additional examples are not hard to find in the history of art.

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