The course will survey European art history from the fifth century BCE to contemporary practice. The course will introduce you to the significant work of artists, sculptors and architects in the disciplinary canon and examines their work within the broader social and cultural context of its production. The course also explores how significant works have been cited throughout the history of European art. The course develops critical visual analysis through close reading of artworks themselves and associated literature.

Click on any module code for a detailed module description.

The modules for year one and year two of the course are as follows: 

Year 1 Modules:

• AD1839: The Art of Northern Europe (5 credits)
  This module will explore the characteristics of the 'Northern Renaissance' as manifested in the traditions of Netherlandish, Flemish and German Art from the fifteenth to the sixteenth century. Artists studies will include Roger Van der Weyden, Jan Van Eyck and Albrect Durer.
• AD1840: The Age of the Baroque (10 credits)
  This module will present an overview of the characteristics of European Baroque painting, architecture sculpture. Artists studied will include Michelangelo Merisi, Caravaggio; Peter Paul Rubens; Diego Velasquez; Jan Vermeer; Rembrandt van Fijn and Gianlorenzo Bernini.
• HA1800: Introduction to the Formation of European Art (5 credits)
  This module will examine the artistic legacy and achievements of Greece and Rome on which Renaissance artists and theorists built. It will examine the style and iconography of Byzantine and Medieval Art. There will be case studies on manuscript illumination. Topics covered will include the Acropolis in Athens; the Pantheon and Colosseum, Rome; the art of the Book of Kells and the Gothic cathedrals of Chartres and Notre Dame.
• HA1801: Renaissance Studies (10 credits)
  This module will explore Italian Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture. The Renaissance heritage of Rome, Florence and Venice will be explored through case studies. Artists studies will include Giotto di Bondone; Duccio di Buoninsegna; Leonardo Da Vinci; Michelangelo Buonarroti and Raphael Sanzio.

Year 2 Modules:

• AD2838: Art in the Age of Enlightenment (5 credits)
  This module will examine the re-interpretation of Antiquity during the Age of the Enlightment.
• AD2839: Revolutions and Reactions (5 credits)
  This module will examine the Romantic aesthetic. It will examine Revivalism as engaging with themes of modernity and the non-Western aesthetic. Artists studied will include William Blake, Joseph William Mallord Turner; John Constable and Theodore Gericault.
• AD2840: A Crisis of Tradition (10 credits)
  This module will examine new approaches to Western aesthetics in the wake of influences from the East, the impact of technological developments and the changes brought about by modernity. The introduction of photography will be examined. Artists covered will include the work of Edouard Manet and the Impressionists.
• HA2802: Birth of Contemporary Art (10 credits)
  This module will examine the various diverse strands of the Modernist aesthetic during the early 20th century. Topics examined will include: Symbolism; Cubism; Expressionism; Dada; Surrealism. This module will examine art and visual culture after World War II, investigating the continuing developments of modern art and their shift from Paris to New York. It will also examine the rise of visual culture and its subsequent effect on artistic practice and the discipline of art history. Artists studied will include Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.

The course schedules study trips throughout the two-year cycle. Previous classes have gone to Rome, Paris, London and Edinburgh. We also visit Cork galleries and galleries in Dublin. These trips are optional and a supplementary fee may apply.

Assessment will include essays, learning journals, field trip reports and online discussion forums. Assessments are optional. If students choose to do assessments they will be guided by professional and experienced tutors. All assessments are designed to match an appropriate learning level. While we want students to do their best, most of all, we want them to enjoy the course.

Staff are drawn from the History of Art and Adult Continuing Education faculties. Staff are active teachers and researchers in the field of art history and cultural history.

http://www.ucc.ie/researchprofiles/A019/jcronin 

UCC Venue
James Cronin, Course Coordinator
ACE at UCC
T: +353 (0)21 420 5118
E: j.cronin@ucc.ie 

Currently closed for application