History of Art
Why Study History of Art?
The History of Art is a vital and challenging discipline of quite particular relevance to the interests and needs of contemporary society. We live in a world dominated by images, and the essence of modern culture is visual. Even so, many people feel ill at ease with visual information and do not understand the origins or even the meaning of the images by which they are surrounded. The study of History of Art, with its procedures of visual analysis, description and criticism, can teach you fundamental and original skills: an ability to discern quality in visual matters, to access creativity, to discriminate between the exceptional and the routine, and to make visual judgements. This course provides students with a firm foundation on which to build an understanding of the visual culture and physical environment of modern-day Ireland.
Overview
Year One has been designed to cover the history and theory associated with the major phases of Western art and architecture — from classical antiquity to the present — and to examine the critical concepts that underpin the culture of the visual arts in the West. It is an exciting and stimulating course that teaches students to use their eyes, to ask questions, and to have confidence in their own critical judgments.
Years Two and Three build on the art historical fundaments established in Year One by offering a series of historically- and thematically-specific classes, allowing students to consider material in more detail and to perfect their skills in visual literacy. The courses are supplemented by tutorials, which are student-centred, supportive learning environments in which particular issues can be discussed in more detail. Study trips to Paris, Berlin, Florence, London, New York, and Rome are a crucial part of the learning process.
Postgraduate Opportunities in UCC
• Higher Diploma in Arts (History & Art)
• MA in Modern and Contemporary Art (Taught)
• MA Aesthetics and History of Art (Taught)
• MPhil
• PhD
What will you be studying?
Year 1
Western Painting, Sculpture and Architecture from Greece and Rome through to Contemporary Art
Year 2
Modernism in Europe, 1860-1940 • The History and Theory of Photography • Portraiture • Art and Patronage in the Renaissance • Modernism and Postmodernism • The History and Theory of Photography • The Art of Daily Life
Year 3
Historiography and Current Methodologies • The Art of Medieval Ireland • The Art of 18th Century Ireland • The Art and Culture of Renaissance Rome • Art of the Academy in the 19th Century • The Visual Culture of the Weimar Republic • Photography and Post Modernism • The History and Theory of Drawing • The History and Theory of Italian Baroque Art • The Role of the Artist after 1945
For complete module descriptions, see the Book of Modules for History of Art.
