History of Art

Course summary

History of Art is intellectually challenging, rewarding, enjoyable and available only in the Sixth Form. Visual media dominate contemporary culture and History of Art gives students the means to make sense of our world by studying the history of global visual culture. The key focus is the investigation of the meaning and significance of works of art within a given historical context, and their significance to us today. This involves the study of historical, political, social, economic, philosophical and literary material through primary and secondary sources and promotes cross-curricular links. History of Art develops a wide range of skills and uses a range of methodologies. Through observation, description and critical analysis of images, you will learn to discuss the materials, techniques and formal qualities of painting, sculpture, architecture and mixed media work using specialist vocabulary, as well as recognise the features of individual and historical styles. There are no specific GCSE requirements for the course. Students will be required to research independently, contribute to class discussions and debates, give presentations and submit regular essays. Section A: Visual Analysis of Art from c.500 BC to present – a skills-based course focusing on the formal qualities of painting, sculpture and architecture, such as colour, light, composition, space, and pattern. You will acquire an in-depth understanding of materials and techniques and a new specialist vocabulary that will allow you to describe and interpret art and buildings with fluency and authority. Section B: Thematic Study of World Art and Architecture: ‘Art and Nature’ and ‘Art and War’. Through these units, you’ll learn how the themes of nature and war, both universal concerns of human experience, have been represented and interpreted differently by artists and architects from across the globe, dating from antiquity to the present day. Section C: Period Studies of Art and Architecture: ‘Invention and Illusion’: The Renaissance in Italy 1420-1520’, and ‘Brave New World: Modernism in Europe 1900-1939’. These units look at two of the most revolutionary periods in the history of Western culture, in which the appearance and wider role of art changed forever. Through in-depth visual and contextual analysis, you will learn the nature, causes and significance of these revolutions. Each year there is typically an annual overseas visit to either Italy or Paris, alongside regular visits to London museums and galleries and opportunities to attend lectures and conferences. History of Art has many applications in terms of careers including any profession requiring skills of research, analysis and communication such as media and communications, publishing, museums and galleries, conservation and restoration, education, public relations and architecture. Most importantly, History of Art will teach students to understand our contemporary highly visual culture and prompt enthusiasms that last a lifetime.