History of Art

Course summary

Students are taught to look at and analyse art. They are introduced to the formal characteristics, terminology and techniques of painting, sculpture and architecture with reference to particular works that are examined in paper 1. Ideas include composition, colour, light, space, ornament, volume, line and shape. Students specialise in two themes, First, War, exploring representations of leaders and memorials and how we commemorate significant events. Second, Identity, looking at meaning behind portraits and addressing ethnicity and religion. We also study the context and meaning of works, studying two periods in depth, specialising in Rebellion and Revival: the British and French Avant-Garde (1848-99) and Brave New World: Modernism in Europe (1900-39), looking at the birth of modernism.