History of Art

Course summary

History of Art is the most interdisciplinary humanities subject, bringing together not only art and history but also classics, politics, theology, philosophy, archaeology and anthropology. In essence, studying art and architecture enables us to understand the world around us: the past, and why things are the way they are now. It seeks to understand people as individuals and as societies by studying human creativity and intellectual history. It allows us to learn about people’s behaviours, beliefs and values. You will study: - Visual analysis: developing skills of visual literacy to understand any visual stimulus (painting, advertising, sculpture, architecture, etc). - The Italian Renaissance: how artists in Florence, Rome and Venice developed some of the great masterpieces we still love today. - The late Nineteenth Century: how the rapidly changing world (industrialisation, empire, political tumult) revolutionised the art world. - War in Art and Architecture: with an especial focus on the Napoleonic Wars, WWI and the Iraq War. - Identities in Art and Architecture: how people express aspects of themselves - their gender, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, for example.