Studiolo n°7

Indeed, comedy in the arts raises a number of questions, starting with that of a category born of ancient poetic art (comedy). It also raises questions about the status of laughter in different historical periods, and the social value of laughter and its disruptive effect. These are all questions of interest to historians, and they are addressed in this new issue. With these words, former director of the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici Frédéric Mitterrand, currently Minister of Culture and Communication, introduces the new issue of Revue Studiolo, dedicated to the subject of “Le comique dans les arts”. For this 7th issue, the magazine has expanded its editorial board to include international contributors, and has added a “Debates” section, dedicated to “bringing together scattered elements from different countries and sensibilities”, as Marc Bayard, Villa Medici’s art historian and the magazine’s editor-in-chief, explains. Since its first issue in 2002, Studiolo has been publishing research on artistic exchanges between Italy and France in a broad European context, from the Renaissance to the 20th century. It also provides a forum for the most current debates in art history, both in terms of subject matter and methods. Each annual issue therefore includes a dossier introduced by a general attempt at perspective, varia, a debates section and information on the activities of the art history department at Villa Medici. Studiolo n° 7 will be available in bookshops from October 21, 2009.