Postgraduate Course: 1940s: Art in an Age of Crisis (HIAR11014)
Course Outline
School |
School of Arts, Culture and Environment |
College |
College of Humanities and Social Science |
Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits |
20 |
Home subject area |
History of Art |
Other subject area |
None |
Course website |
http://www.arthistory.ed.ac.uk/ |
|
|
Course description |
The course will explore the development of the visual arts (fine art and photography) during this most traumatic of decades. The coverage will extend back into the late 1930s, when war already seemed inevitable, and Pablo Picasso's Guernica demonstrated how the language of modern art could be adapted to conveying the tragic mood of contemporary life. The direct impact of the Second World War is evident in the work of British artists and photographers (e.g. Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland, Bill Brandt, Lee Miller); a wider indirect influence can be seen in work by artists such as Francis Bacon and Jean Fautrier. The bleak mood of wartime extended into the period of the Cold War, informing the work of artists in Europe (e.g. Jean Dubuffet, Alberto Giacometti, Lucian Freud, the 'Geometry of Fear' sculptors) and the U.S.A (Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, David Smith). It was not until the mid 1950s that a more optimistic outlook began to take hold, and in that sense the artistic sensibility of the 1940s was current for more than a literal decade. The course will consider the complex relationships between artistic creativity in the period and the wider historical and cultural contexts in which artists were operating. |
Entry Requirements
Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites |
|
Prohibited Combinations |
|
Other requirements |
None
|
Additional Costs |
None |
Course Delivery Information
|
Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | 14:00 - 15:50 | | | |
First Class |
First class information not currently available |
Additional information |
Location will be confirmed in Handbook |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
The purpose of this course is to examine the relationship between art and society at a moment of rapid social and cultural change. The aim is also to provide close acquaintance with major holdings of 20th-century art of major international significance which are available in Edinburgh. |
Assessment Information
Principal means of assessment is a 4,000 word essay. In addition each candidate's performance will be monitored through the presentation of seminar material. |
Please see Visiting Student Prospectus website for Visiting Student Assessment information |
Special Arrangements
Not entered |
Contacts
Course organiser |
Mr Martin Hammer
Tel: (0131 6)50 4119
Email: Martin.Hammer@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Mrs Lucy Hawkins
Tel: (0131 6)51 3212
Email: Lucy.Hawkins@ed.ac.uk |
|
copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 6:06 am
|