This course is scheduled to commence at UCC in September 2019 (subject to final numbers). This is a part-time programme running over one academic year. Lectures will be held on Wednesday evenings, 7.00-10.00 pm. In addition, optional tutorials and workshops may be offered at 6.00-7.00 pm.

 

There are no end-of-year exams associated with the course. Your final grade is tied to the marks gained in the continuous assessment, over both semesters, consisting of 3 essays and 3 class tests in total.

 

Applications for this Certificate are currently made through  UCC's Centre for Adult Continuing Education.

History of Art is a vital and challenging discipline of particular relevance to the needs and interests of contemporary society. We live in a culture dominated by the visual, one which constantly invites us to interpret and respond to images of all kinds. Even so, many people feel ill at ease with visual communication and do not understand the origins or meanings of the images by which they are surrounded in their everyday life. The study of the history of art, with its emphasis on sustained visual description, analysis and criticism, teaches you fundamental skills: to learn to ‘read’ and understand images, to relate artworks to their historical context, to make judgements in terms of quality and value, and to express ways of thinking imaginatively and critically about various forms of creative practice. In short, the course provides you with a useful foundation for understanding the visual culture and environment of modern-day Ireland.

Semester 1 (September – December 2019)

The first section of the course will introduce the major phases in western art and architecture from classical antiquity in Greece and Rome to the Renaissance in Italy and northern Europe. The lectures will present a close examination of a limited selection of major works in a variety of media, as well as offering focused analysis of the careers of such important artists as Giotto, the Limbourg brothers, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Masaccio, Jan van Eyck, Hugo van der Goes, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer, Michelangelo, Rogier van der Weyden, Raphael, Giorgione and Titian.

 

Semester 2 (January - April 2020)

The second part of the course will continue the study of the most significant monuments of western painting, sculpture, and architecture, from the Baroque age through the Modern era. The lectures will place an emphasis on historical context, continuity and critical analysis. In the process, students will scrutinise the activities of such key artistic personalities as Caravaggio, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Poussin, Vermeer, Watteau, Canova, Delacroix, Constable, Turner, Monet, van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso and Jackson Pollock.

If you have any further queries regarding the course, or to request our Evening Cert brochure, please contact Maeve Barry, Senior Executive Assistant in History of Art, UCC. Tel.:  021 490 2124. Email:  maeve.barry@ucc.ie