Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Sound and Vision: Word, Music, Image 1860-Now
School	Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department	Art Hist, Cur and Vis Studies
Module Code	09 34893
Module Lead	Sophie Hatchwell
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Painting, music and poetry regularly intertwine in the visual arts, from the poem-paintings of the Pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabrielle Rossetti; to the collaborations between Robert Rauschenberg and composer John Cage; to Keith Haring’s involvement with hip-hop culture in 1980s New York; and more recently, the audio/verbal/image works of contemporary artists like Mona Hatoum and Maud Sulter. The interrelationship of these different art forms bring to mind the classical notion of ut pictura poesis: ‘as is painting, so is poetry’. This concept is often taken to mean that word and image should be seen as sister arts. But if we accept this proposal, does this mean that these forms of expression share affinities, coexist harmoniously, and are essentially interchangeable? Or, rather, does it pit them in competition, vying for dominion over each other? In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the relationship between word and image was further enriched by art writing and practice that drew on musical concepts to explore form, material and expression. Words borrowed from music, such as metre, harmony, scale and melody all took their place in discussions about visual art. From the first decade of the 20th century, music itself began to appear in painting and installation. But again, we need to ask whether this a productive unification of different modes of expression, or do allusions to music instead distort and disfigure both music and art? Taking key examples ranging from 19th century painting to contemporary media art, this module investigates the ways in which the inclusion or association of word and music affect meaning and experience in the visual arts, and whether we should see these various modes of communication as competing or complimentary.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate a detailed and comprehensive knowledge of the module’s taught content; Describe relationships between relevant artworks and the cultural and social environment of the period covered by the module; Identify, analyse and compare relevant artworks produced during the period covered by the module; Comment on theoretical and other matters embodied in primary or other sources relating to the period covered by the module.
Assessment	34893-01 : 3000-word essay : Coursework (50%) 34893-02 : 1.5hr EO Managed Exam : Exam (Centrally Timetabled) - Written Unseen (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 2500-word essay (50% of the final module mark) 1 x 1.5-hour unseen examination (50% of the final module mark) Alternative assessment if on campus activity is restricted: proctored exams will be converted to take home papers. Reassessment: Re-submission of failed component
Other
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