The art and architecture of Venice are inextricably linked to the city's distinct socio-political structure, cultural past and geography. This freshman seminar will consider the arts in Renaissance Venice within the city's unique context. Exploring the influence of the "Myth of Venice", we will examine the styles of painting, sculpture and architecture that were specific to Venice - and very different from contemporaneous developments in Rome or Florence. We will also study the unique physical characteristics of Venice, its economy and society, its political and religious life and cultural culture. We'll also learn about its food and music while we study the magnificent works of its most celebrated artists, Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese, to name a few. The course will address issues such as the family workshop, the introduction of oil paint, the role of Antiquity in a city without ancient ruins, domesticity and the ceiling painting. From the private patronage of its confraternities, or scuole, to public programs sponsored by the Great Council, the course will examine the reflections of the "ideal state" in the art and architecture of the Serenissima, the most serene Republic.