| CODE | LAS2029 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Representing Presentation: Western Art through the Eyes of Marcel Duchamp | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | H - Higher Level | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The Unit gives a theoretical introduction to the development of western art from the Italian Renaissance up to and including the work of Andy Warhol. It starts with a discussion of the contemporary artist Marcel Duchamp, with special emphasis on his readymades and The Large Glass, and outlines the exceptional and original challenge to the common understanding of the work-spectator relationship that his work presents and the original process of representation that Duchamp's work presuppose. The precise nature of this challenge is defined and is taken on board as a guide to embark on an analysis of western artistic production of the past five hundred years in terms of the dynamics of the diverse work-spectator relationships and notions of representation that govern them as works of art. Particularly important milestones in the history of western art (mainly painting and sculpture) include: early, high and late Italian Renaissance, Italian Baroque (with special emphasis on Caravaggio and Carracci), Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, the birth of modern art with Impressionism, reactions to it, Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, and Abstract Expressionism. The final sessions offer a synthesis of the course and, returning to the work of Duchamp, a theoretical appreciation of the work of Andy Warhol is sketched. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the Unit the student will be able to: - understand the artistic and theoretical significance of Marcel Ducahmp's ready-mades and The Large Glass; - appreciate the theoretical centrality of Marcel Duchamp's art for contemporary studies of art; - discern the role of representation and presentation in art; - discern the milestones (artists, works and epochs) that define the history of western art from the Renaissance to contemporary times; - use effectively basic art-studies language and jargon; - discuss the importance of philosophical engagement in the study of art. 2. Skills: By the end of the Unit the student will be able to: - give an appreciation of western artistic production of the past five hundred years in terms of the dynamics of the diverse work-spectator relationships and notions of representation that govern them as works of art; - situate works of art in their historical context; - critically compare and contrast works from different historical contexts. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Badiou, A., Some Remarks Concerning Marcel Duchamp, accessible online: http://www.lacan.com/symptom9_articles/badiou29.html - Danto, A. C., Andy Warhol, Yale University Press, 2009. - Duchamp, M., The Creative Act, L'Echoppe, 1987. - Gombrich, E. H., The Story of Art, Phaidon Press Ltd., 1995. - Janson, A. F., History of Art, The Western Tradition, Pearson, 2010. - Lippard, L.R., Dadas on Art: Tzara, Arp, Duchamp and Others, Dover, 2007. - Mink, J., Duchamp, Taschen, 2006. - Roth, M., Difference/Indifference: Musings on Postmodernism, Marcel Duchamp and John Cage, Routledge, 1998. - Sanouillet, M., & Peterson, E., (eds.), The Writings of Marcel Duchamp, Da Capo Press, 1973. - Warhol A., The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, Penguin Modern Classics, 2007. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Manuel Vella |
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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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