Topics in Art History and Visual Culture II

Description

This module offers a critical introduction to the history of Modernism in Europe and North America. Taking its lead from the work of Manet and his contemporaries, it will explore the key developments in art, design and photography during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Beginning with an investigation into the various ways in which the term Modernism has been used, the course will address both the origins of the term and its relationship to notions of modernity. Building upon this foundation, it will then explore the various '-isms' which constituted the European avant-garde and the rise of their American counterparts. Possible topics for discussion include Cubism, Pictorialism and the New York School. The course will conclude by considering the various ways in which the modernist paradigm has been called into question, from the changing status of the art institution to the rise of Postmodernism. In this module you will explore the forms of artistic practice which emerged between 1870 and 1970 in Europe and North America, with an emphasis on painting and lens-based media. Beginning in nineteenth-century Paris, the first half the module will take its lead from the key artistic and theoretical developments which occurred in Europe prior to 1945. These include Impressionism, Cubism and The New Vision. The second half of the module will explore the forms of artistic practice which emerged following the end of the Second World War and the relocation of the avant-garde from Paris to New York - for Abstract Expressionism, Colour Field painting and Minimalism. By drawing upon a range of materials, including manifestos, exhibition catalogues and art criticism, it will offer an introduction to both the aforementioned practices and the broader critical debates which they provoked. The module delivery will consist of lectures and seminars, which will give you the opportunity to discuss these critical texts in more detail and develop own your position in relation to art historiography and theories of visual culture more broadly.