Art History: A Survey

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 4
• Assessment: two essays of 1500 words (25% each) each and a three-hour unseen examination (50%)

This first-year survey module introduces you to key periods, themes and movements in western art from antiquity through to the late twentieth century.

The module begins by exploring the foundations of European art, before moving on to the art and architecture of the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. A session on the eighteenth century is followed by a series of classes that follow the European avant-gardes through late-nineteenth and twentieth-century modernism, concluding with the period of intense artistic activity from Pop Art to Conceptualism. All these periods and movements are considered in their full historical and theoretical contexts.

The module is organised into six blocks, with each block of three lectures and a seminar relating to a particular period. Whilst the lectures provide you with a broad overview of stylistic developments and art historical approaches, the smaller seminar groups allow for detailed discussion of individual artworks, buildings and texts. Self-directed gallery and site visits are an integral part of the module.

The module aims to:

• contribute to a sound training in the discipline of history of art
• provide an introduction to the narratives of Western art from classical antiquity to the 1970s, charting the cultural contexts and stylistic principles of significant developments in art, architecture and design
• enhance the ability to observe, identify and analyse works of visual culture
• enhance your awareness of the ways in which art can be related to broader social, political, economic and cultural contexts
• enhance your familiarity with current debates and approaches to the discipline
• offer opportunities to develop subject-specific skills and a range of transferable skills
• provide intellectual stimulus and challenges for those studying for personal development.

By the end of this module, you will have:

• acquired a knowledge the narratives of Western art from classical antiquity to the 1970s
• developed the ability to observe, identify and analyse works of visual culture
• developed a critical awareness of the functions of such works within the social and cultural contexts of their production and reception
• become familiar with current debates and approaches to the subject
• developed your ability to analyse and interpret critically historical evidence
• developed your ability to read critically and analyse the secondary literature.