| CODE | ART2151 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | The Decorative Arts in the 19th Century | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Art and Art History | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit discusses the main developments in the decorative arts in Europe and the contributions of important designers working in the different styles which characterised this exciting period in the field. Lectures will take into consideration the Regency Style, the Empire Style, the Gothic Revival and historical revivalist attitudes, and the later reform movements such as the Arts and Crafts Movement, the Aesthetic Movement, leading to Art Nouveau. Malta, despite its peripheral geographical location, came to absorb the most important design currents on the Continent. This was possible thanks to its unique socio-political position of a British colony dominated by Italian taste. The works of practitioners such as the Cannataci family of silversmiths, Nicola Zammit, the Galdes family of designers, Vincenzo Cardona, Abramo Gatt, among others, will be taken into consideration. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit is designed to provide the student with the art-historical tools for the appreciation of the richness and complexity in the decorative arts in Europe and Malta in the period within their social, political and historical contexts. Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - understand the typical ornamental and decorative vocabulary which distinguishes the decorative arts in the nineteenth century; - understand stylistic and contextual material relating to the main developments in the decorative arts and design in both Europe and Malta in the nineteenth century. - evaluate design evolution within the theoretical writings and social phenomena of the period. - stylistic Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - distinguish between the different stylistic idioms of design in the nineteenth century from Neoclassicism to Art Nouveau; - associate particular objets d’art and artefacts of material culture with the artistic output of the leading designers and thinkers of the period such as A.W.N. Pugin and William Morris. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Reading List: - Michael Snodin and John Styles, Design and the Decorative Arts: Britain 1500-1900, V&A Publications 2001 - Simon Jervis, High Victorian Design, The Boydell Press, London 1983. - Mark Sagona, The Ecclesiastical Decorative Arts in Malta 1850-1900: Style and Ornament, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Malta 2014. - Mark Sagona (ed.), International Perspectives on the Decorative Arts – Nineteenth-century Malta, Midsea Books, Malta 2021. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Mark Sagona |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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