Vitale da Bologna in Natura ed espressione di Francesco Arcangeli

Vitale da Bologna, the most prominent painter in Bologna during the 14th century, is the second figure highlighted in Francesco Arcangeli’s historical account presented in his essay for the exhibition Natura ed espressione nell’arte bolognese emiliana (1970). This exhibition and the related introductory essay synthesise a highly personal historiographical outline developed by Arcangeli over the course of his initial lectures at the University of Bologna, which spanned several centuries of Emilian and Bolognese art. The courses, held over the three preceding academic years, were collectively entitled Corpo, azione, sentimento, fantasia: naturalismo ed espressionismo nella tradizione artistica emiliano-bolognese (“Body, Action, Sentiment, Fantasy: Naturalism and Expressionism in the Emilian-Bolognese Art Tradition”). This article focuses on the section of the 1970 essay that concerns Vitale, which has received the least attention in studies. It will particularly explore Arcangeli’s engagement with Roberto Longhi’s fundamental re-evaluation of Vitale and 14th century Bolognese painting as a whole.