The Open University
Art and its global histories
This module presents a new history of art, starting with the Renaissance, when Europeans encountered a new range of desirable objects from across the globe.| Length | Over 6 months |
| Price | £ 3012 |
| Subject | Design, Art |
| Level | Advanced |
| Languages | English |
| Video Transcripts | English |
This module presents a new history of art, starting with the Renaissance, when Europeans encountered a new range of desirable objects from across the globe. You'll explore the role of art and architecture in colonial expansion up to 1800, before looking in depth at art and culture in British India. The vital role that art played in the stories that Europeans have told about the wider world are highlighted, with suggestions as to the ways in which these stories might be challenged or revised. The module concludes by analysing the globalisation of artistic practice from the twentieth century to the present day.
You may be familiar with Renaissance altarpieces or Dutch still lives, but have you ever noticed that they sometimes include depictions of luxury goods imported from across the world? Did you know that the British architect Edwin Lutyens was responsible for designing the capital of modern India? Why did the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei fill Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall with porcelain sunflower seeds? These are just some of the fascinating questions that are addressed by the rich range of material, shaped by cross-cultural encounters, addressed in the four blocks that comprise this module. As the module progresses, you are expected to develop a degree of independence in learning to the extent that you are able to complete independent analyses using the skills you have learned in the course of your study.
What you'll learn
You will learn
gain knowledge and understanding of diverse cultural contexts in which works of art were produced, consumed and interpreted in Europe and beyond
gain knowledge and understanding of artistic practice as it has been shaped by cultural exchanges along trade routes and within key geographic centres
engage critically with works of art, primary texts and secondary sources, drawing appropriate conclusions based on this evidence
become familiar with current scholarship and a range of theoretical approaches in relation to studying art history and visual culture from a global perspective
develop a degree of independence in producing reasoned arguments that engage with the themes and academic debates around the global nature of art.