History of Art

Course summary

The commercial world of the 21st Century is highly visual. In media, marketing and advertising employers are constantly seeking the visually aware. History of Art gives pupils visual and analytical skills that can be applied in many walks of life, as well as the tools to understand how images and objects shape our social and political identities. The study of art in its historical and contemporary forms also gives pupils crucial knowledge of world civilisations, from the warring Qin Dynasty of early Imperial China, to prosperous papal Rome during the High Renaissance, to the opulent Belle Époque in Paris prior to World War I. The course takes a linear structure and is largely essay-based, with two written examinations at the end of the second year. Emphasis is placed on an analytical approach in both written and oral work. It is not necessary for pupils to have practical artistic skills, though some knowledge of the materials and technique s involved in making art is helpful.