13 Art History 1

Studying art history is a valuable means of understanding art and culture.  Art History is concerned with the analysis and interpretation of art works within their cultural and historical contexts.

This course will develop your literacy, critical thinking and analytical skills. You will become articulate and communicate views and opinions based on visual evidence. These transferable skills will be applied while examining artworks from the history of Western and contemporary New Zealand Art.

The objective of the art history course is to enable students to:

• Use and understand terminology appropriate to the subject.
• Recognise technical and stylistic conventions and the formal and expressive qualities of an artwork.
• Distinguish between individual, regional and period styles.
• Understand the ways in which symbols and signs are used to create meaning in art.
• Understand the function of art within its social context and of the relationships between art, artists and society.
• Understand the ways in which values are attached to art.

Topics: 15th Century Early Renaissance & 20th Century Modernism to Post Modernism

We’ll travel back in time to the world of the 15th century after the devastating effects of the Plague and study the emergence of Renaissance Humanism. We’ll leap forward 500 years to explore the second half of the 20th century where artists move beyond traditional painting to comment on the everyday, popular culture, and consumerism. We’ll examine major artistic styles of Naturalism and Classicism as well as Modernism, Abstraction, Feminism, Neo-Dada and Pop Art.

Students will go on a trip for this course to experience art in person and apply skills learned.

Students taking visual art subjects as well as considering Scholarship Art and/or Art History are recommended to take this course.

Skills learnt in Art History can lead to work in a wide range of roles including  architectects, lawyers, marketing coordinators, administrators, customers service advisers, website content developers, sales advisers, recruitment consultants, educators, project coordinators, curatorial work, art gallery roles, conservation, research and more.

Term 1

Introduction to Art History

Learn to use art historical terminology

Early Renaissance art and Humanism 

Internal: 3.7 Examine the relationship between a theory and artworks.

Term 2

Modern American Art

Styles: American Realism, Abstract Expressionism, Neo Dada & Pop Art

Artists: Hopper; Pollock; Rothko; Rauschenberg; Warhol; Lichtenstein; Oldenburg, 

Internal: 3.4 Examine the impact of media and processes on art.

Term 3

Modern New Zealand Art & Feminist Art

Artists: McCahon, Hotere, Frizzell, Fahey; Chicago; Kruger

Internal: 3.6 Examine the values placed on art.

Term 4

 Exam preparation