TAD2101

Modernism and visual challenge 2A

6 points - One lecture, one tutorial, and one seminar hour per week - First Semester - Caulfield and Gippsland - Prerequisites: TAD1101 and TAD1102 - Corequisites: none - Prohibitions: TAD2111, TAD3101, TAD3111 - Elective

Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to identify the basic tenets of the major movements in art and design in the first half of the 20th century, have an awareness of the major bodies of thought shaping the western world during this period and an understanding of how these ideas may continue to influence their own practice, possess refined analytical and research skills enabling them to determine points of connection and divergence between the products of artists and designers. Students should also be able to identify the cultural and historical circumstances in which these products have been produced, identify and understand the developments specific to the refinement of visual communication practices during this period, and perceive the critical link between theory and practice.

Synopsis This subject explores critically the discourses of European modernism and the salient tenets of its practice consolidated in the 1890- 1945 period. In this subject the art and design student explores and examines the major bodies of thought shaping the practices of the time, such as Marxism and psychoanalysis; the impact of technological developments on mediums and practices, including the development of new printing methods, photography and film; and the ways in which new technologies and materials were incorporated into practice. The central tenets and aspirations of movements such as expressionism, futurism, cubism, constructivism and suprematism, dada and surrealism, Bauhaus and De Stijl will be explored from a contemporary perspective. A major focus of study will be an analysis of the avant-garde as an agent of change and its influence in defining social, political and aesthetic roles for artists and designers. The significance and meaning of the visual image, three dimensional art and design objects; their social power and responsibility, particularly in propaganda and the creation of national identity, will be raised. Discussions will concern the utopian aspirations of some practitioners of this period, and the nihilistic tendencies of others with emphasis on exploring the relationship of art and design practice to broader social and cultural contexts. We will also explore the position and predicament of Australian artists, craftspeople and designers practicing in the margins of modernism during this period.

Assessment One 2000-word assignment: 40% - One seminar paper: 30% - One gallery report (1500 words)

Prescribed texts

Theory of Art and Design Unit Modernism and visual challenge 2A (book of readings prepared by course coordinator)

Recommended texts

Staniszewski A Believing is seeing: Creating the culture of art Penguin, 1995

Back to the 1999 Art and Design Handbook