TAD2101

Anxiety, modernism and utopia

3 points
* Two 1.5 hour lecture/tutorial per week
* First semester
* Caulfield and distance
* Prerequisites: TAD1101 and TAD1102
* Prohibited combinations: TAD3109

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 and consider their values critically; be aware of the major bodies of thought which have shaped the Western world in that time and be able to reflect upon their bearing on visual production; possess refined analytical and research skills to 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 and examine the means by which cultural history sheds light on artistic production, albeit in an evaluative.

Synopsis Students are required to attend one additional class per week, to carry out additional reading, and submit one additional assignment for this subject. 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: 30%
* Gallery report: 30%
* One essay: 40%

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 Chicago 1989
Meggs P B A history of graphic design 2nd edn, Van Nostrand, 1992