Introductory description

At the heart of this module is the debate over the role of art and the artist in modern society that occurred in inter-war Britain. Rather than considering artistic developments during the period in terms of conservative artistic ideas confronted by an imported model of avant-garde practice, the module tests alternative interpretations. The Victorian tradition that linked art with civic responsibility will be connected with the modern artist’s social engagement, and is contrasted with the aestheticism of critics like Roger Fry. The growing involvement of artists and designers not just in the area of fine arts and architecture but also in advertising, industrial design and film-making will be examined in the context of the precarious economic and political conditions of the period.

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.

Land, landscape, the "call-to-order," utopianism and modernity
'Medieval modernism'
Primitivism, sculpture and space: Gill, Epstein, Moore and Hepworth
Artists, art and industry: Nash, Bawden, Ravilious, Marx, McKnight Kauffer, London Underground, Shell and Harrods
The image of the architect and architecture in 1930s Britain
British and Modern? Unit One - Read, Nash, Hepworth, Moore, Nicholson and Wells Coates
Artists, war and pacifism
Identity and the uncanny: Britain, society, psychoanalysis and surrealism
Society observed: the Mass Observation Project
Realism and realist debates: the Euston Road painters and the GPO film unit
Towards an International Style: émigré architects, designers, artists and Britain

Learning outcomes

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

• Command a knowledge of key works of British art and architecture of the period
• Demonstrate understanding of the structure of the art world during the inter-war period
• Display an understanding of the connections between art practice and art criticism
• Demonstrate an ability to interpret differing manifestations of national and artistic identity within an informed historical trajectory
• 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
• 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 cultural artefacts in their context

Indicative reading list

J. Gardiner, The Thirties: an intimate history (2009)
A. Harris, Romantic Moderns (2010)
D. Loveday & J. Peto (eds.), Modern Britain 1929-39 (Design Museum cat. 1998)
D. Mellor, ‘British art in the 1930s’ in F.Gloversmith, Class, culture and social change: a new view of the thirties (1980)
A. Powers, Modern: The Modern Movement in Britain, Merrell, London and New York (2007)
Thirties: British art and design before the war (Arts Council cat, 1979)

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

• Command a knowledge of key works of British art and architecture of the period
• demonstrate understanding of the structure of the art world during the inter-war period
• display an understanding of the connections between art practice and art criticism
• demonstrate an to interpret differing manifestations of national and artistic identity within an informed historical trajectory
• sophisticated visual analysis
• critical analysis of cultural artefacts in their context

Transferable skills

• 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
• ability to find, select, organize and synthesize evidence
• ability to formulate a sustained argument
• think conceptually and independently at an appropriate level
• bibliographical skills at an appropriate level