The units are designed to introduce students to some of the most significant early periods of art history in Western Europe: the Italian Renaissance, the Northern Renaissance and 17th-century Dutch painting. On completion of the course, students will have acquired specific knowledge of the changing attitudes to art production over the centuries, as well as an understanding of the language of art history itself.
The course is taught through three termly units, each with its own topic. The evening sessions take place on Tuesdays from 7.15pm - 9.15pm and the gallery visits on Saturdays.
What will I be studying?
Unit 1: The Renaissance reviewed: Florence, Rome and Venice 1400-1520
4 October - 13 December 2016
(10 weekly Tuesday evening sessions and a gallery visit. NB:no class on 25 October 2016)
This unit offers an introduction to the revival of classical thought, the key painters, sculptors and architects in Renaissance Italy, and their profound influence upon society and culture. We focus largely on Florence as the epicentre of Renaissance developments but also consider the significance of Rome and Venice as centres of artistic development. The influence of contemporary Flemish art on the Italians is also considered.
Unit 2: The Northern Renaissance 1400-1550: from Pucelle to Brueghel
10 January - 21 March 2017
(10 weekly Tuesday evening sessions and a gallery visit. NB: no class on 14 February 2017)
This unit examines Northern European art between 1400-1550, in particular the importance of artists such as van Eyck, Dürer and Holbein and the mutual influences between them and their Italian counterparts. Set within changing historical, cultural and religious contexts, we analyse altarpieces and devotionals as the origin of other artistic genres: portraiture, landscape, still life painting.
Unit 3: Going Dutch: a history of 17th-century Dutch painting
25 April – 4 July 2017
(10 weekly Tuesday evening sessions and 2 gallery visits. NB: no class on 16 May 2017)
From panoramic views of the landscape to the minutiae of daily life, this unit examines arguably the most self-imaging society in the 17th century. Through an analysis of Dutch painting and architecture, we examine how the Dutch celebrated their independence from Spanish rule, and how a distinctive national identity emerged.
What can I go on to do?
You may, if you wish, take another Undergraduate Certificate in History of Art (Certificate I) to achieve a Certificate of Higher Education in History of Art, or you may like to progress to the Undergraduate Diploma in History of Art.
Credit awarded by the Institute may also be transferred into the degree programmes of other higher education providers. However the volume of credit and the curriculum which can be transferred into degree programmes varies from institution to institution and is always at the discretion of the receiving institution.
