The first seminar will explore the similarities and differences between Plato and Aristotle’s approaches to art. The two philosophers’ differing attitudes towards the earthly and the divine will be discussed, as will their views on the impact of mimetic (imitational) art. The power of art and its connection with morality will be discussed, as will the relationship between art and emotion, with a particular emphasis on the potential of art to be dangerous or deceptive.
The second seminar will look at two celebrated writers on art from the Renaissance: Leon Battista Alberti and Giorgio Vasari. We will discuss to what extent Alberti can be considered a Humanist writer, adopting a reasoned, rational approach and placing man at the centre (as Protagoras’s ‘measure’ of all things). Vasari’s establishment of a canon of art and artists will be explored, as will his motivations, narrative techniques, and sub-texts.
The final seminar will examine the birth of modernism in the 19th century, specifically in relation to the writings of the French writer, poet and art critic, Charles Baudelaire. His distrust of nature and promotion of the use of imagination will be discussed, as will his attitude towards the ‘art for art’s sake’ movement. Particularly, reference will be made to his seminal 1863 work, ‘The Painter of Modern Life’.
Learning outcomes
- To become acquainted with a number of seminal theorists of art through the ages;
- To explore a number of specific texts produced by key theorists, and to start to make links between them;
- To begin to think critically about texts relating to art, critiquing and contextualising their content.
