TAD3109*

Constructing art in Australia: from colonialism to post-colonialism A

6 points - One 2-hour lecture, one 1-hour tutorial and 9 independent study hours per week - First semester- Caulfield - Prerequisites: Two second-year level TAD subjects - Prohibitions: TAD3119 - Elective

Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to relate Australian art and visual culture to the changes in Australian society which have occurred since colonisation; place Australian art and visual culture within the larger framework of international art; consider critically the social and political perspectives of Australian art history through themes which have been explored in recent literature.

Synopsis This subject provides a 'survey' of visual arts in Australia from colonisation to contemporary contexts. Historical and social perspectives in the development of painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and film, architecture and design are addressed, looking at issues of representation and subjectivity, cultural identity, nationalism and nationhood, ethnicity and gender. The subject also includes issues of mainstream and marginality; notions of the 'centre' and regionalism, Australia's relationship to Europe and European art generally, and the notion of landscape as a shaper of national identity.

Assessment Seminar paper: 40% - Essay: 60%

Recommended texts

Smith B Australian painting, 1788-1990 3rd edn, OUP, 1991
Burke J Australian women artists, 1840-1940 Greenhouse, 1980

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