History of Art

Do you want to know why a young woman should want to be turned into a tree or why an artist pickled a cow? This course consists of studies of works of art, architecture and design from classical antiquity to the present day. These take place both in galleries and museums and in the classroom, using slides and videos.

Learning to interpret images and understand design are skills for life! Art history combines naturally with a wide range of other courses, particularly art & design, English, history, modern languages as well as theatre studies, media studies and film studies. Students find that where topics overlap, art history can help their understanding of visual culture.

History of Art is a new subject for all students who study it so prior knowledge is not assumed. You should be a person who enjoys visiting art galleries, looking at architecture and is interested in the way visual images represent the way people lived. This subject would combine well with many A levels including History, Fine Art, Sociology, Politics, Media Studies, Film Studies, Classical Civilisation and English.

You will develop the skills to read and interpret visual images and to analyse them in terms of content, context and the materials with which they were made. You will take part in discussions and write essays. You will also learn how to research independently and give presentations. Images on slides, videos and DVDs as well as first hand observations are central to the course.