YEAR 1 AUTUMN MODULES INTRODUCTORY READING
Please find following introductory reading lists for the modules you will be studying in the autumn term. This is not
compulsory reading but is intended to give a flavour of the modules prior to the introductory sessions in week
once.
HA1A2 - Introduction to Art History: Classicism and the Arts of Christianity
This module is formed by a series of lectures and related seminars that address the intertwined themes of
Classicism and Christianity. It will provide a historical survey of western art and concentrates on late antique,
medieval and Renaissance art, periods with which our first year students are often unfamiliar. The lectures follow a
broadly chronological sweep, while the related seminars will concentrate on issues of technique, terminology and
iconography. The key aim of this module is to empower you with the ability to describe what you see – in terms of
how an image or object is made, as well as its form and iconography. You will acquire a basic grasp of the essential
areas which you will need to use as reference points for other modules in the degree.
Reading:
 Beard, Mary, and Henderson, John, Classical Art: From Greece to Rome (Oxford, 2001).
 Summerson, John, The Classical Language of Architecture (London, 1980).
 Stalley, Roger, Early Medieval Architecture (Oxford, 2002).
 Barral I Altet, Xavier, The Early Middle Ages: From Late Antiquity to AD 1000 (Cologne, 2002).
 Haskell, Francis, and Penny, Nicholas, Taste and the Antique: The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900
(New Haven and London, 1981).
 Paoletti, John T., and Radke, Gary, Art in Renaissance Italy (New York, 1997)
 Seznec, Jean, The Survival of the Pagan Gods: The Mythological Tradition and Its Place in Renaissance
Humanism and Art (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1961).
 Prettejohn, Elizabeth, The Modernity of Ancient Sculpture: Greek Sculpture and Modern art from
Winckelmann to Picasso (London, 2012).
 Warren, Roberts, Jacques-Louis David, Revolutionary Artist: Art, Politics and the French Revolution (Chapel
Hill, 1989).
HA1A3: Architecture
This module is designed to introduce you to architecture through the medium of ecclesiastical buildings. Focussing
on three key periods - the medieval, the 19th century and the 20th century - you will examine form, function and
interpretation, the significance of architectural style and the relationship between building and setting. Using key
buildings and significant local examples the module will explore the contrasting approaches taken by architects
and patrons and also consider the important role and function of works of art within the buildings.
Reading:
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Ballantyne, Architecture: a very short introduction. (Oxford, 2002) [NA200.B2]
C.Cunningham, Stones of witness: church architecture and function. (Stroud, 1999) [NA5461.C8]
W. Curtis, Modern architecture since 1900. Revised edn. (London, 2000) [NA680.C8]
N.Pevsner, A history of building types. (Princeton, 1979) [NA4170.P3]
J.M.Crook, The dilemma of style: architectural ideas from the picturesque to the post-modern. (London,
1987) [NA961.C7]
Clifton Taylor, The Cathedrals of England. Revised edn. (London, 1987) ch. 10 [NA5461.C5]
HA1A6 - Prints
You will learn about the range of printmaking techniques and practices used from the early Renaissance onwards.
As well as providing an understanding of the physical construction of the print, the module will familiarise you with
the vast generic range of printed images, spanning 'high' and 'low' culture, and will introduce the social, political
and aesthetic meanings of such objects. We will also consider the status of the print as both a transmitter of
information and values, and an aesthetic object in its own right, establishing itself within a fine art tradition. You
will have the opportunity to handle prints and printmaking tools and will develop skills in close looking.
Reading:
 Antony Griffiths, Prints and Printmaking. An Introduction to the History and Techniques (London: British
Museum Press, 1986)
 Susan Lambert, Prints: Art and Technique (London, 2000)
 William Ivins, Prints and Visual Communication (London, 1953)
 Tim Clayton, The English Print, 1688-1802 (New Haven and London, 1997)
 Diana Donald, The Age of Caricature: Satirical Prints in the Reign of George III (New Haven and London,
1996)
 Ellis Tinios, Japanese Prints: Ukiyo-e in Edo, 1700-1900 (London, 2010)
HA1A8 - Sculpture
Introducing the medium of sculpture this module provides a sound understanding of the fundamentals of
sculptural practice as well as encouraging you to think critically about the types of issues that sculpture raises for
the art historian. Themes will include, the significance and handling of different materials; the status of sculpture
as a medium; display and the role of the beholder. We will be exploring sculpture primarily from the modern
period - from the eighteenth century to the present - and examining a number of key themes, above all the
representation of the human body.
Reading:
 Causey, Sculpture Since 1945 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998).
 P. Curtis, Sculpture 1900-1945 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999)
 M. Trusted, The Making of Sculpture: the materials and techniques of European Sculpture (London: V&A
Publications, 2007).
 Wagner, Mother stone: the vitality of modern British sculpture (New Haven and London: Yale University
Press, 2005).
HA1B2 Contemporary Art
This module introduces students to key movements and themes in contemporary art since c. 1960. It examines the
role of the historical avant gardes and art institutions (the art school, the gallery and the museum) in determining
how we look at and understand contemporary art. It traces the effects of ruptures and innovations as they are
responded to, rejected and re-thought across time. Themes will include the artist’s body, process art, conceptual
practices, installation art, participation and performance, as well as photography and video. The module focuses
on understanding the processes behind making works of art as well as close study of artworks and critical texts,
and includes at least one field trip to see artworks on site. It aims to build skills in visual analysis and critical
thinking, and to foster your ability to analyse artworks independently and critically and provide you with skills
necessary for more advanced work.
Reading:
 Yves-Alain Bois, Benjamin Buchloh, Hal Foster and Rosalind Krauss, Art Since 1900: Modernism,
Antimodernism, Postmodernism, London: Thames and Hudson, 2005 [NX 456.A7]
 Charles Harrison and Paul Wood (eds), Art in Theory 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas, Oxford:
Blackwell, 2003 [N 6490.A7]
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David Hopkins, After Modern Art 1945-2000, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000 [N 6490.H6]
Kristine Stiles and Peter Selz (eds), Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art, Second Edition, Berkley,
Los Angeles, London: University of California Press, 2012 [1996 edition N 6490.T4]
HA1B3: The Altarpiece
The altarpiece is one of the key objects used in Christian worship which later acquired a new life as central
exponents of canonical works of Western European art. We shall consider this category from its late medieval
origins through to the sixteenth century, drawing on examples from both Italy and Northern Europe, in both
sculpture and painting. The course will deal with a number of important themes: the origins and formal
development of the altarpiece over time; its functions and their impact on content and structure; its different
typologies; the differences and similarities between north and south; and the relevance of materials and
construction particular for relevant for its reconstruction after dismemberment, through a study of its carpentry,
wood grain, and paint layers.
Reading:
 J. Dunkerton, et al., Giotto to Dürer: Early Renaissance Painting in the National Gallery of London (New
Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1991), pp. 22-37 (‘Christian Worship and Imagery’)
 L. Bourdua, ‘The Altarpiece’, in M. Kemp (ed.), The Oxford Illustrated History of Western Art (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2000), pp. 130-137
 E. Welch, Art in Renaissance Italy, 1350-1500 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), pp. 133-165 (ch. 5,
‘The Sacred Setting), 167-207 (ch. 6, ‘Sites of Devotion’)
 J. Gardner, ‘Altars, Altarpieces, and Art History: Legislation and Usage’, in E. Borsook and F. Superbi
Gioffredi (eds.), Italian Altarpieces 1250-1550. Function and Design (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), pp. 539
 J.E.A. Kroesen and V.M. Schmidt (eds.), The Altar and Its Environment: 1150-1400 (Turnhout: Brepols,
2009), chs. 2, 3, 11, 14
HA1B4: Painting Techniques
A broad knowledge of artistic media and practices through the ages is necessary if we are to recognise and
understand how artists have produced their works, how some of these were considered innovative and how
choices of materials and techniques contribute to the meaning of works of art. This module aims to introduce you
to some of the media and techniques used by artists over the centuries, and to some of the debates among artists
and scholars around issues of artistic practice. It will help you learn to identify the reasons why artists choose
certain technical approaches and materials, and the effects they achieve with them.
Reading:
 John Gage, Colour and Culture (Thames & Hudson, 1993).
 Jill Dunkerton, Susan Foister, Dillian Gordon and Nicholas Penny, Giotto to Dürer: Early Renaissance
Painting in the National Gallery (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1991).
 Stephen Hackney (ed.) Paint and Purpose: A Study of Technique in British Art (London: Tate Gallery, 1999).
 Colin Hayes, The Complete Guide to Painting and Drawing Techniques and Materials (London: Phaidon,
 1981).
 Waldemar Januszczak, Techniques of the World’s Great Painters (Oxford: Phaidon, 1980).
 Frederick Malins, Understanding Paintings: the Elements of Composition (Oxford: Phaidon, 1980).