Towards an Australian postmodernism
Proposed to be offered next in 1996
Leigh Astbury
12 points * 2 hours per week * Second semester * Clayton
The recurring issues of regionalism and internationalism will be addressed in architecture and painting/sculpture, as will interpretations of Australia as the site of international congruence and influence. The subject will move from discussion of the American context of The Field exhibition of 1968 and growing interest in a formally complex `inclusive' architecture, to the `pluralisms' of the 1970s: minimal art, performance art, feminism, and, in architecture, to a renewed monumentality and contextualism. The focus on the 1980s and early 1990s will address some of the following: neo-expressionism in painting, sculpture and architecture, rationalism and neo-classical approaches in architecture, aboriginality, publication and publicity, theoretical issues and the current status of Australian art.
Assessment
First seminar paper (2500 words): 25% * Second seminar paper (3000 words): 35% * Research essay (3500 words): 40%