This course will introduce a variety of contemporary art history concepts and cultural movements that continue to influence artworks today. Take a deep dive into interesting performance, theory, and conceptual artists and works continuing to critique or reflect current society and culture.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Utopian Art: The idealised visions of our world expressed through the works of artists such as Ai Wei Wei, Agnes Denes and Antony Gormley, based on the original text by Thomas Moore that inspired many other literary pieces.
• Aesthetics and Art: Aesthetic theory, what makes an artwork aesthetic, good or bad, the standards of criticism and the practice of thinking through theory, using works from various periods as example.
• Sublime and Gothic Art; the psychological effects of supernatural and the unknown in art, looking at the works of Francisco Goya, Caspar David Friedrich, and Edmund Burke
• Information: Return of the Real, reflecting on the age of consumption, content has never been more accessible. Analysing the original theories of Jean Baudrillard and artists addressing the materiality of information.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Identify art-pieces within a real life context, and extend their knowledge of conceptual art to the everyday.
2. Gain knowledge on various influential artists and works in the contemporary art world.