Introductory description

This module comprises a series of lectures and related seminars which look at the two themes of The Natural World and The Arts of Modernity. Covering a period from the eighteenth century to the present day, the module will provide a historical survey of western art which - instead of a conventional canonical and chronological approach - employs one which encourages stimulating cross-comparisons across time and space.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Landscape Painting in 18th century Britain
Art, Enlightenment and Revolution
Romanticism and the Cult of Nature
The Pre-Raphaelites and Landscape
Painting Modern Life - the Impressionists
Cezanne, Seurat & Symbolism
Cubism
Constructivism
German Expressionism
Berlin Dada
Abstraction
Conceptual Art
Art and Race in Post-War America
Global Modernisms
Installation Art
Globalisation and Contemporary Art

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Command a broad understanding of key ideas concerning the natural world and the industrialised world in art and art history.
• Demonstrate an ability to situate these ideas and works within a broader cultural context.
• Demonstrate familiarity with a range of analytical tools to engage with more specialised, period- or genre-specific courses in the second year.
• Initiate and sustain group discussion through intelligent questioning and debate at an appropriate level
• Ability to undertake research and to write up the results in the form of a well-structured argument at an appropriate level
• Familiarity with essential ICT skills
• Ability to collaborate effectively with others
• Show understanding of diverse viewpoints and of interpretation in the history of art
• Ability to find, select, organize and synthesize evidence
• Ability to formulate a sustained argument
• Think conceptually and independently at an appropriate level
• Sophisticated visual analysis
• Bibliographical skills at an appropriate level
• Critical analysis of works of art in their context
• Interpretation of works of art at an appropriate level

Indicative reading list

Malcolm Andrews, Landscape and Western art (1999)
Mark Antliff and Patricia Leighton, Cubism and culture (2001)
A.Belloli, ed. A day in the country: Impressionism and the French landscape (1985)
Ann Bermingham, Landscape and ideology: the English rustic tradition (1987)
Claire Bishop, Installation Art: a Critical History (London: Tate Publishing, 2005)
Yves-Alain Bois, Benjamin Buchloh, Hal Foster, Rosalind Krauss, Art Since 1900 (2005)
T.J.Clark, The Painting of Modern life (1984)
Neil Cox, Cubism (2000)
Thomas Crow, Modern art in the common culture (1996)
Thomas Crow, The rise of the sixties (1996)
Stephen Eisenman, Nineteenth-century art: a critical history (1994)
Jonathan Harris, The global contemporary art world (2017)
Elaine O'Brien (ed), Modern art in Africa, Asia, and Latin America : an
introduction to global modernisms (2013)
Paul Smith, Impressionism: Beneath the Surface (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1995)
Allen Staley, The Pre- Raphaelite Landscape (2002)
Keith Thomas, Man and the natural world (1983)

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Research element

Completion of Art Historical Study Skills course run concurrently with this module

Subject specific skills

• Command a broad understanding of key ideas concerning the natural world and the industrialised world in art and art history.
• Demonstrate an ability to situate these ideas and works within a broader cultural context.
• Demonstrate familiarity with a range of analytical tools to engage with more specialised, period- or genre-specific courses in the second year.
• Demonstrate visual literacy.
• Demonstrate critical analysis of cultural artefacts in their context.

Transferable skills

• With guidance, the ability to gather, select, organise and synthesise visual and textual information.
• Present an argument, initiate and sustain group discussion through intelligent questioning and debate.
• Demonstrate academic skills: ability to undertake research and to write up the results in the form of a well-structured argument at an appropriate level.
• Familiarity with essential ICT skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with others.
• Demonstrate understanding of historical context and evidence.
• Think conceptually and critically.
• Show understanding of diverse viewpoints.
• Ability to find, select, organize and synthesize evidence.
• Ability to formulate a sustained argument.
• Demonstrate bibliographical and other academic skills