Introduction to Twentieth Century Art - All Levels

Introduction

This course is being taught online during the Summer 2020 Term.

Stone, Powder, Word:

A History of Two Million Years of Art in Twenty Objects.

The course is ideal for any beginners who are drawn to the history of art, and looking to get an overview of the subject, from its very beginnings, up to the present day. This could be in order to study more specific periods or topics in future, either in college or at home.

Students will look at a selection of works of art from different periods in order to understand the events and ideas of that time, and to learn how to understand works of art by relating them to their context.

Session 1: Manet, Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Munch, Matisse This session looks at the development of art at the end of the nineteenth century in France as a political and aesthetic reaction against academic classicism through pastiche, colour or the expression of an inner vision. It then goes on to look at early twentieth century art, how it continued the revolution in colour and facture started by the symbolists, in the works of the Fauvists.

Session 2: Picasso, Kandinsky, Duchamp, Rothko, Bacon, Warhol, Ono, Beuys This session looks at the developments of Cubism, Abstraction, Dadaism and Surrealism. The session then looks at how, after the horrors of the Second World War, and the threat of annihilation of the Cold War, modernist art and consumerist culture began to be challenged by artists engaging with postmodern theories of art.

Session 3: Koons, Richter, Craig-Martin, Hirst, Salcedo, Eliasson, Wei-Wei. This session looks at the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century division between neo-conceptual art which takes its premise from Warhol's love of consumer culture, and on the other hand, conceptual, figurative and installation art which engages with history.

Assessment

Learning will take place in a group in class, with some pair or group work, and will support visits to the British Museum, the National Gallery and the Tate Modern, outside of class time.

Entry Requirements

No entry requirements.

Materials

No materials are required, although students are welcome to take notes if they wish. A reading list will be provided for any students who wish to do extra reading about any topics on their own.

Important information

All courses run subject to demand and the content listed here should be used as a guide only. Course content may vary according to a range of factors such as course duration, campus, teaching staff and requirements from awarding bodies. Check our course and fee guidelines for further details.

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