Introduction to Art History - 1st semester
Code
711061054
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
História da Arte
Credits
6
Teacher in charge
Alexandra Curvelo
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
1. Introduce students to the basic tools that will allow them to develop their work in this specific disciplinary field (bibliography, on-line repositories of images, how to write a review and a critical review);
2. Introduce students to the basic concepts of the discipline and the main methodological orientations;
3. To apply the knowledge acquired and be able to think critically through debates in the classroom and the writing of a short essay.
Prerequisites
N/A
Subject matter
The course will proceed thematically, in an effort to avoid a linear history of art. Subjects covered will include: What is art history; the artists biography; subject matter analysis (iconography/iconology); periodization of art history and the problems of time; geography of art history (regions, centres, peripheries, provinces etc.); market value and the work of art as commodity, etc.
All of these will be illustrated through concrete case studies, and the emphasis will be on specific problems surrounding specific objects.
Bibliography
Alpers, Svetlana, The Art of Describing. Dutch Art in the Seventeenth Century. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.
Balzac, Honoré de, A obra-prima desconhecida. Lisboa: Edições Vndaval, 2002.
Berger, John, Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin, 2008.
Elkins, James, Is Art History Global? New York: Routledge, 2006.
Fernie, Eric (selection and commentary), Art History and its methods: a critical anthology. London: Phaidon, 1995.
Mansfield, Elizabeth, ed. Art History and its Institutions. Foundations of a Discipline. London and New York: Routledge, 2002.
Mitchell, W.J.T., Picture Theory.Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation. Chicago; London: The University of Chicago Press, 1994.
Preziosi, Donald, ed. The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Zeri, Federico, Dietro l´immagine. Conversazione sull´arte di leggere l´arte. Milano: Tea Arte, 1990.
Teaching method
Lectures are supported by images and films´ excerpts and are complemented by visits to libraries and museums in Lisbon.
Evaluation method
The assessment consists in carrying out an essay in one of the areas covered by the programme and in two written exams. Students are graded based on a midterm (20%), a final exam (40%), a short essay (20%) and class participation (20%). Students must attend at least to 80% of classes given). All grading elements are mandatory. Late papers will be penalized and may not be accepted.