TAD2104

Critical history of modernism

6 points
* One 2-hour lecture, one 1-hour tutorial and 3 independent study hours per week
* Second semester
* Caulfield, Gippsland, Peninsula
* Prerequisites: TAD1101 and TAD1102

Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to recognise key formal, conceptual and spiritual characteristics of the varieties of modernism in the visual arts of the Western European tradition from the first half of the twentieth century; possess a critical understanding of the concept of `modernism' and be able to adopt an informed position with respect to it; be able to relate the strengths and conceits of the various movements and schools of modern art and draw critical conclusions about the influences which informed and produced the various avant-garde styles; possess such analytical, communication skills as are necessary for them to engage with key examples of the artworks relevant to the subject on a formal and aesthetic level, in addition to discussing content and meaning, place and function within specific artistic, historical, social, and theoretical contexts.

Synopsis This subject builds on the idea of modernism introduced in first year and deals with themes, modes, styles, ideas and techniques in the European art of the first half of the twentieth century. Issues introduced for critical analysis include new modes of representation, expressionism, abstraction, formalism and art and ideologies. Particular art movements discussed will include fauvism, cubism, futurism, constructivism, dada and surrealism. The subject also considers the modern art which arose in the USA and Australia in the same period.

Assessment Two essays: 60%
* One-hour visual examination: 40%

Prescribed texts

Golding J Cubism: A history and an analysis Faber, 1986
Goldwater R Primitivism in modern art Harvard U P, 1986
Haese R Rebels and precursors Penguin, 1988
Hamilton G H Painting and sculpture in Europe 1880-1940 Penguin, 1985
Harrison C and Wood P (eds) Art in theory 1900-1990: An anthology of changing ideas Blackwell, 1992
Hughes R The shock of the new Thames and Hudson, 1991
Lipsey R An art of our own: The spiritual in twentieth-century art Shambhala, 1988
Moszynska A Abstract art Thames and Hudson, 1990
Smith B Australian painting rev. edn, OUP, 1990