Postgraduate Course: 1940s: Art in an Age of Crisis (HIAR11014)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
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/ |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| 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 (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
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. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Martin Hammer
Tel: (0131 6)50 4119
Email: Martin.Hammer@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Christopher Miller
Tel: 0131 221 6150
Email: c.miller@ed.ac.uk |
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