Aims
This course aims to:
• introduce you to some of the key movements in 20th-century western art
• develop your confidence discussing modern art
• develop the analytical skill and vocabulary necessary for the appreciation and analysis of modern art
Content
This course will explore the multiple mediums that artists used in the 20th century. Through an analysis of sculptures, paintings, photomontages, photographs and textiles, we will consider some of the key issues that artists were grappling with in the 20th century. We will consider the historical contexts that shaped their work, from histories of colonialism, to the First and Second World Wars. As we explore 20th century visual culture, we will discuss world-renowned art movements, such as Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Afro-Surrealism and Pop Art.
By the end of this course, you should feel confident when you encounter modern art, and you should have developed the skills, vocabulary and contextual understanding necessary to speak
or write about key movements in Western art.
Presentation of the course
You will be introduced to a variety of art movements in the first part of our sessions, which will take the form of lectures accompanied by PowerPoint presentations. The lecture will be followed by object-based learning or group activities, which are designed to give you confidence speaking about the artists that we have covered. These workshop style sessions will allow you to meet and engage with fellow students as you apply the content of the lectures to specific works of art. The seminar tasks will help hone your analytical abilities as you discuss and analyse individual works of art or set readings.
Course sessions
1. Cubism, Dadaism and the Rise of the Avant Garde
This session will begin with a reflection on the rise of the avant-garde in the early 20th century. We will begin with cubism, looking at the work of Pablo Picasso and George Braque. We will then explore Dadaism through the work of artists like Marcel Duchamp, Raul Hausman and Hannah Höch.
2. Surrealism
In this session we will explore the international Surrealist movement. We will consider the work of artists like Salvador Dalí and Leonora Carrington, considering the presence of a dream-like, numinous realm in their work, as well as Surrealism’s links with history. We will also discuss some of the art techniques used by Surrealists.
3. Modernism, Pop-Art, Expressionism and Neo Expressionism
In this session we will begin with a lecture on modernist photography and move towards some of the radical approaches to capitalist culture that characterise the art of the mid-20th century. We will discuss Pop Art through the work of artists like Richard Hamilton, Andy Warhol and Violeta Parra. We will also consider abstract expression and neo expressionism discussing the work of Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
4. Afro-Descendant art and the Historical Imagination
In this session we will turn to the work of African and Afro-Descendant artists. We will discuss Afro-Surrealism and other decolonial art strategies used in art. Case studies will include the work of the British artist Yinka Shonibare, as well as the work of other afro-descendant artists from around the globe, such as Wangechi Mutu, Aïda Muluneh, Kara Walker. Time permitting, we will also consider the way some of the key ideas from the twentieth century art movements inform the work of contemporary artists such as Anya Paintsil, Nengi Omuku and Enam GbeWonyo.
5. Challenging the Established Hierarchy through Fibre Art
Having considered painting, sculpture, photography and photomontage, we will turn our attention in this last session to the use of fibre art. Textiles were championed in the 20th century to challenge the authority of traditional high art mediums such as painting and sculpture. We will consider the work of artists like Anni Alber, Tracey Emin, Faith Ringold, Violeta Parra and Cecilia Vicuña as well as sewing groups like Gees Bend and Chilean
arpillera makers.
Learning outcomes
You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course.
The learning outcomes for this course are:
• you will gain an understanding of the seismic shifts that took place in western art in
the 20th century
• you will have an understanding of movements like Cubism, Surrealism, Dadaism and Pop Art
• you will develop the skills of visual analysis and art criticism
• you will gain an understanding of a variety of different mediums and the relationships that these mediums have with the social, political and historical contexts for art in the 20th century
Required reading
Bradley, Fiona, Surrealism (Movements Mod Art) (London: Tate Gallery, 1998)
Please read the first two chapters.
Dillon, Lorna, Violeta Parra’s Art: Painted Songs (Cham: Palgrave, 2020)
Please read chapter three “Surrealism, Pop Art and Modern Aesthetics in Violeta Parra’s
Papier-Mâché Sculptures, Paintings and Embroideries”
Makholm, Kristin, Strange Beauty: Hannah Höch and the Photomontage, MoMA, no. 24
(Winter-Spring, 1997): 19-23
