ARTH6504 Art of Portraiture: History and Theory
| Offered By | School of Cultural Inquiry |
|---|---|
| Academic Career | Graduate Coursework |
| Course Subject | Art History |
| Offered in | First Semester, 2012 |
| Unit Value | 6 units |
| Course Description | This course will examine the history and theory of portraiture. A diverse range of images will be discussed from Egyptian funerary portraits through to modern and contemporary likenesses. Alongside large oil paintings and monumental sculpture, the course will include the study of coins, miniatures, silhouettes, photographs, prints and caricatures. The major figures in the history of portraiture, such as Van Eyck, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Hals, Rubens, Rembrandt, Velásquez, Holbein, Goya, Ingres, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Picasso and Bacon will all be included. We will also utilise local collections and will study Australian portraiture. A range of challenging concerns and issues will be addressed: such as likeness and truth; concepts of beauty; memory and commemoration; identity and the projection of self; portraiture and it relationship to class, race and gender struggles. We will also explore the curatorial and exhibition practices surrounding portraiture, especially the formation and role of National Portrait Galleries. |
| Learning Outcomes | On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have an in-depth understanding of the history and theories surrounding portraiture and the ability to analyse the complexities of portrait conventions. |
| Indicative Assessment |
Oral presentation and visual analysis (30%), research essay (40%), end of semester visual test (20%) and tutorial participation (10%). Passing the course is conditional on satisfactory tutorial attendance. |
| Workload |
On campus but with many tutorials held off campus. Contact hours include 3 hours per week in lectures and tutorials. Students are expected to complete an average of 5 hours per week outside these contact hours. |
| Course Classification(s) | SpecialistSpecialist courses are designed for students having reached 'first degree' level of assumed knowledge, which provide for the acquisition of specialist skills; or 'second degree' and higher level of knowledge; or for transition to research training programs; or knowledge associated with professional accreditation. |
| Areas of Interest | Art History |
|
Assumed Knowledge and Required Skills |
A basic understanding of the history of art and experience in researching and analysing art objects. |
| Preliminary Reading |
Harry Berger, ‘Fictions of the pose: facing the gaze in early Modern portraiture', Representations, Spring, 1994, pp. 87-120 Richard Brilliant, Portraiture, London: Reaktion Books, 1991 Shearer West, Portraiture, Oxford:Oxford University Press, 2004 |
| Academic Contact | Dr Elisabeth Findlay |
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