The History of Art spans tens of thousands of years; from the ancient cave drawings at Lascaux to contemporary cutting edge installation and performance works, with each piece and period having something important to show us about human life. The Art History Summer School provides a five-day whirlwind tour through some of the key moments in the development of Western artistic practice. It also offers an opportunity for students to get stuck into some big philosophical questions in the field of aesthetics – What is art? How can we judge ‘good’ art? Is it meaningful to speak of the ‘progress’ of art?
The Art History Summer School offers an overview of the subject which seeks to explore and expand the traditional canon. Students will be introduced to a variety of approaches to Art History, including post-colonial, post-modern and feminist theories of art. This course will be taught by post-graduates from top universities and is structured in a way that gives a taste of undergraduate learning through a small group lecture and seminar format. The Summer School will offer a lively and interactive environment for students, allowing participants to express and develop their own thoughts and ideas together with tutors and like-minded peers.
For those keen on pursuing Art History at university, the course will give a broad introduction to some key areas of Art History which will enable students to speak more confidently about these periods, artists and themes and to discover more about areas which they might be interested in pursuing in more depth in the future. For those considering Art History in a more vocational light, there will also be material looking at the practical task of curatorship, as part of which we will be taking a trip to the National Gallery.
No prior knowledge is required to attend this course, all we would ask is that students have a strong interest in art and a willingness to engage actively with some fascinating and challenging material.
Feedback from previous students:
“The Art History Summer School was a wonderful experience! The lecturers made the subject fascinating, and I really enjoyed learning about the many different areas of art history. I would definitely recommend this summer school to anyone interested in learning more about the subject or considering studying it at university!”
“A really useful week, I would definitely recommend the Summer School to anyone thinking about History of Art as a degree. It covers such a broad range of topics, you come out feeling like you have a really good understanding of lots of aspects of art.”
“This course is perfect for people who haven’t done any History of Art before! It helps you learn how to look at a piece of artwork differently and provides a vastly broad but also quite detailed introduction to the subject. It has been incredibly useful, as I am now positive that I want to study it at university!”
Practical Details:
The cost of the five-day course is £475 and it will be held at the University of London in Bloomsbury on the 21st–25th August 2017. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
There will be a limited number of bursary spaces available for those who would otherwise have financial difficulty in attending – please see our website for details.
To book a place please visit http://www.debatechamber.com/