Italian Renaissance drawings: design, form, and function

A wonderful art history course that I'm doing at ...where else... City Lit. For seven weeks we get to sit and look at images and hear about the artist and the evolution and use of the drawing. The tutor gets discussion going with thought-provoking questions, and provides a comprehensive list of the works to be shown at the start of each class. Only problem is, the discussions mean we don't get to the end of the list! 

For instance, here's the painting resulting from Lorenzo Costa's drawing of the coronation of the Virgin - 

Note the saints looking up at the heavenly scene. (St Victor, St John the Baptist, St Augustine, St John the Evangelist, St Jerome and St Sebastian.) Why is one of the reading rather than looking? to show that "some people are non-believers and don't see a miracle when it happens before their eyes".

I have been collecting the image lists and taking notes and making sketches, and hope to review the material and find images of some of the drawings when things settle down a bit here. 

Short video featuring the course tutor is here.