During a short period in Art history the witch’s question from Snow White could be a matter of scientific discussion. Contrary to Horace’s view that beauty has no measure, Renaissance humanists and artists believed it can, it should, and even must be defined. But already in the middle of the 16^th century, beauty turned to be a subjective matter, in the eye of the beholder.

This course examines Renaissance theoretical thought, and its transformation from the 14^th to mid 16^th century. We will discuss the theoretical issues of Aesthetics, and the historical events that influenced them. We will read and analyze the writings of Cennino Cennini, Alberti, and Leonardo da Vinci, vis-à-vis examining the work of Giotto to Mantegna, Botticelli, Raphael and others..