| Unit name | Modern Art and Internationalism, c.1870-c.1920 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HART31045 |
| Credit points | 40 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Brockington |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History of Art (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The fin de siecle (ca. 1870-1920) is usually characterised as a moment of nation consolidation and aggression. However, it was also an era of internationalist idealism and global infrastructures. This unit will explore the interaction between internationalism (both the doctrine and the phenomenon) and the visual arts in this period. Geographically it will focus on Britain in relation to Europe, although Europe's relations with other parts of the world (notably America and the European colonies) will also come into play. The unit will draw on a new tendency in British art studies to question the national formation of schools of art and to focus instead on the cultural connections between countries. Students will examine a variety of case-studies, from individual artists who developed cosmopolitan identities, through internationalist art societies which tried to break the national mould imposed by most art institutions, to informal art movements which developed international momentum.
