History of Art

Course summary

History of Art is a fascinating course that explores our global cultural heritage. It asks how the great masterpieces of art have been produced, what they mean and why they have such an impact on us. The course is built on three key elements: Visual Analysis; Themes and Periods. You begin with a course in visual literacy that equips you with the essential concepts, skills and vocabulary to understand fine art, sculpture and architecture. Themes are broad-based investigations into artistic developments and connections between movements and periods across time and space. You explore works in relation to two themes: Identities and Nature focusing on, for example gender, ethnicity and ecology. Finally, you focus on two artistic periods: the 17th century Baroque and Modernism in Europe at the start of the 20th century. Here you investigate the relationships between key artists such as Caravaggio and Picasso and the concepts and contexts that shaped their work such as the struggle between the Catholic and Protestant faiths and the devastating impact of the First World War. Throughout the course, you will learn how to analyse and make critical judgments about art while also building an understanding of the significance and contribution of key individual artists and the relationship between art, technology, society and politics across the entire world.