TAD3111

Modernism and visual challenge 3B

3 points - 2 hours lecture/tutorial and 4 independent study hours per week - First semester - Caulfield - Prerequisites: Two second-year level TAD subjects - Prohibitions: TAD2101, TAD2111, TAD3101 - 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 within the first half of the twentieth century; have an awareness of the major bodies of thought which have shaped the western world in that time; possess refined analytical and research skills which enable them to determine the points of connection and divergence between the products of artists and designers; be able to identify the cultural and historical circumstances in which these have been produced.

Synopsis This subject explores the revolutionary transformations in European art and design in the first half of the twentieth century within a milieu of dramatic political, cultural, and technological change. Whilst some artists and designers despaired of the modern world, others were inspired by the changes to work towards the creation of a new Utopia. This subject deals with the 'grammar' of painting, photography, poster design, typography and film which was formulated in the early decades of this century. Identification and evaluation of the central tenets of expressionism, futurism, cubism, suprematism and constructivism, dada and surrealism, Bauhaus, de Stijl and abstraction form significant components of the course. Wherever appropriate, connections are made between European practices and Australian art and design. While emphasis is on the analysis of the cultural and historical contexts of the various art movements, aspects of personal creativity are also explored.

Assessment Tutorial paper: 50% - Gallery report: 50%

Recommended texts

Berger J Ways of seeing BBC/Penguin, 1972
Drucker J The visible world: Experimental typography and modern art, 1909-1923 U Chicago P, 1994
Harrison C and Wood P (eds) Art in theory 1900-1990: An anthology of changing ideas Blackwell, 1993
Margolin V (ed.) Design discourse: History, theory, criticism U Chicago P, 1989
Meggs P B A History of graphic design 2nd edn, Van Nostrand, 1992

Back to the 1999 Art and Design Handbook