What exactly is British art, and how does it relate to national identity? This module provides a broad overview of developments in British art from c.1760 to the present. It questions and unpacks this art historical category, by examining the key debates and writings that have shaped our understanding and definition of British art. It engages with the ways in which the boundaries of British art are increasingly being redrawn, as art historians integrate Britain’s imperial past and postcolonial present into the study of British art.
The module will consider the ways in which British art has been made, exhibited, experienced, conceptualised and contested. It will examine the breadth of British art, notably painting and sculpture, but also photography, the decorative arts, and more recent conceptual approaches. Students will engage directly with artworks through visits to relevant collections.
The module’s broad chronological sweep encompasses a diverse set of ideas related to British art. Topics might include: art and empire; ‘English’ or ‘British’?; collecting and exhibiting British art; writing British art; the Royal Academy and the creation of the ‘British school’; researching British Art; queering British art; and new narratives in British art history.
Through the formative assessment, the student will exhibit advanced proficiency in oral skills.
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 and of the approaches taken in related scholarship;
Analyse and evaluate relationships between relevant artworks and the cultural and social environment of the period covered by the module;
Identify and critically analyse and compare key examples of relevant artworks produced during the period covered by the module;
Identify and critically evaluate a range of methods and arguments used in primary or other secondary sources relating to the period covered by the module;
exhibit advanced proficiency in writing skills.
Assessment
34892-01 : 4000-word essay : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessment: One written summative assessment of 4000 words (100%).
Reassessment: Resubmission of 4,000-word essay (100%)
