Course Syllabus
EUROPEAN ART OF THE 20th CENTURY:From Expressionism to Present |
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| Semester & Location: |
Spring 2025 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Discipline: |
Art History |
| Prerequisite(s): |
None |
| Faculty Member: |
Kirsten Astrup & Maria Bordorff |
| Time & Place: |
Fridays 11:40-14:35 in V10-A33 |
Description of Course
This course is an experiential and analytical investigation of European art and visual culture from Modernity to Globalization. Significant artistic concepts of the early Avant-Gardes and Contemporary Practices will be thoroughly examined in a comparative manner.
The sessions will alternate between the classroom and current exhibitions in Copenhagen to consider the diversity of artistic expression over time. The exhibition visits will cover a range of artists and a variety of media, which will provide case studies for group debates and written critical responses. Active student participation is a central element of this class.
The class will emphasize looking at and discussing art works according to the criteria visual elements, the cultural and political environment of the time, as well as the artists’ personal life. The discussion and analysis of art works will be supported by the respective literature providing a theoretical and critical background.
Instructors
Maria Bordorff & Kirsten Astrup
Objectives
- Gain knowledge of the varied manifestations of modern and contemporary art;
- Ability to critically evaluate the impact of globalization on visual art;
- Ability to formally analyze and discuss specific works and different media;
- Adeptness in critical inquiry and discourse during field studies and in the classroom;
Course Evaluation
| Active Class Participation | 30 % |
| Visual Analysis Paper | 30 % |
| Research Paper | 40 % |
To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.
Field Studies and Excursions
The National Gallery, Sølvgade 48-50, 1307 København K
Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Kongens Nytorv 2, 1051 København K
ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Skovvej 100, 2635 Ishøj
Gammel Strand, Gammel Strand 48, 1202 København K
Cisternerne, Roskildevej 25A, 2000 Frederiksberg
Required Reading
Barber, Fionna: #14 Surrealism 1924-29, in Steve Edwards and Paul Wood(ed.) Art of the Avantgardes, Oxford University Press, 2004
Breton, André: From the first Manifesto of Surrealism. In Harrison, Charles and Paul Wood (eds.): Art in Theory 1900 -1990 - An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1992. pp.432- 439.
Caws, Mary Ann, Rudolf E. Kuenzli and Gwen Raaberg (eds.): Surrealism and Women, MIT Press, Cambridge MAss. and London, 1991, pp. 1-26.
Comini, Alexandra: ‘Egon Schiele: Redefining Portraiture in the Age og Angst’ in Egon Schiele: Portraits, Prestel, 2014
Gay, Dail and Edwards, Steve: ‘Global Dissensus: Art and Contemporary Capitalism’, in Edwards, Steve and Wood, Paul (ed.): Art and Visual Culture 1850 - 2010, Tate Publishing
Gombrich, Ernest: ‘A Story Without End’, in The Story of Art, Phaidon, 1995.
Greenberg, Clement: ‘Modern and Postmodern’, in Arts 54, No. 6, 1980.
Hamilton, George Heard: Painting and Sculpture in Europe 1880-1940. 3rd ed. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1967, repr. 1987. pp. 197-204 + 474-487
Kandinsky, Vasily: Concerning the Spiritual in Art. In Harrison, Charles and Paul Wood (eds.): Art in Theory 1900 -1990 - An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1992. pp. 86-91.
Macdonald, Sharon J.: ‘Museums, national, postnational and transcultural identites’, in Museums and Society, 2003
Müller Westermann, Iris: Paintings for the Future: Hilma af Klint a Pioneer of Abstraction in Seclusion, exhibition catalogue 2014.
Pedersen, Anne Ring: "It's Our Art ... But Who are 'We'? Art's Encounter with the General Public in the Public Spaces of Multicultural Societies." Paper presented at Det' vores kunst, Køge, Denmark, 2001
Araeen, Rasheed: "Our Bauhaus, Other's Mudhouse" in Third Text, Vol. 3, 1989
Ratnam, Niru: ‘Art and globalisation’ in Perry, Gill and Wood, Paul (ed.): Themes in Contemporary Art, pp. 277-313
Stiles, Kristine: ‘I/Eye/Oculus: Performance, installation and video’ in Perry, Gill and Wood, Paul (eds.): Themes in Contemporary Art, pp. 183-229
Wood, Paul: 'The Idea of an Abstract Art', in: Steve Edwards and Paul Wood (eds.): Art of the Avant-Gardes. Yale University Press, 2004. pp.1-10
Wood, Paul: 'Inside the whale: an introduction to postmodernist art', in: Perry, Gill and Wood, Paul (eds.): Themes in Contemporary Art, pp. 5-43
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
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