Short courses

Summary

During the 20th century visual art underwent many radical changes, making this period of art history both exhilarating and daunting. This course will demystify the art of this period, taking in a global perspective and providing a focused analysis of many key art movements, artists, and ideas during this time. Students will be introduced to the important debates and controversies which surround such a wide variety of art and will be guided through the huge shifts in how art was made, what it was made from, and even what can constitute an artwork in the 20th century. The final week will conclude with a guided visit to an art gallery

This course aims to:
• Extend students’ knowledge of art history through the focussed analysis of 20th century art.
• Develop students’ critical awareness of the subject by identifying the wide variety of stylistic and cultural components of art created during the 20th century, examining its place within the broader socio-political and cultural context of this period.
• Introduce students to some of the issues of methodology, historiography and context which are associated with this period of study.
• Foster further transferable skills such as visual interpretation, independent learning and written presentation skills.

By the end of this course students will be able to:
• Demonstrate verbally and in writing, knowledge of 20th century art, including major art movements.
• Critically analyse and interpret innovative and influential works of 20th century art in terms of its imagery, function, methods of production and stylistic and cultural components.
• Identify and evaluate the historical, stylistic and cultural components of 20th century art, and the key debates surrounding it.
• Demonstrate independent personal study skills in art-historical research and the ability to pursue investigation of a work of art or a theme using library, museum and gallery resources.