TAD3107

The classical tradition in art and design

3 points
* 2 hours lecture/tutorial and 4 independent study hours per week
* First semester
* Caulfield, Gippsland and distance
* Prerequisites: Two second-year level theory of art and design (TAD) subjects
* Prohibited combinations: TAD3105

Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should recognise the key formal and conceptual characteristics of classical Renaissance and baroque art and design; possess analytical, communication skills necessary for discussing content and meaning, and the place and function of works within specific artistic, historical and social contexts; understand that meaning is not necessarily fixed, but remains open to a range of readings and re-interpretations; recognise how contemporary artists have responded to this classical tradition.

Synopsis Third-year students are expected to read more widely and to submit longer assignments. This subject examines the classical tradition in Western art, providing a survey of style and achievement from Graeco-Roman art to neo-classicism. Areas covered include the humanist revival of classicism in Renaissance art and architecture, the baroque classicism of the Bolognese School, Poussin and seventeenth-century classicism, and the eighteenth-century cult of the antique. The course also introduces students to the new classicism in the art and architecture of the 1970s to 1990s.

Assessment Short paper: 20%
* Essay: 30%
* Two-hour examination: 50%

Prescribed texts

Barnett S A short guide to writing about art 4th edn, Harper Collins 1993
Greenhalgh M The classical tradition in art Duckworth, 1978
Levey M Early Renaissance Penguin, 1987
Murray L The High Renaissance and mannerism Thames and Hudson, 1981
Summerson J The classical language of architecture rev.edn Thames and Hudson, 1980