Report on the 2009 Tertiary Entrance Examination in
Art
The TEE subject Art was examined for the last time in 2009.
This combined report is based on reports by chief examiner for the written examination
and the chief marker for the practical examination. The opinions and recommendations
expressed are not necessarily representative of, or endorsed by, the Curriculum Council.
The marking key included in the report was prepared by the examining panel, and
modified as appropriate at the pre-marker meetings. It is not intended as a set of model
answers, and is not exhaustive as regards possible alternatives. It represents a standard
of response that the examiners deemed sufficient to earn full marks. Teachers who use
this key should do so with its original purpose in mind.
Practical examination
The practical examination was worth 50% of the total examination and consisted of a
Visual Diary prepared by candidates in the course of the year. Each diary was assessed
by two examiners.
Candidature
Year
Number
who sat
Number of
absentees
2009
820
45
2008
791
95
Summary
Markers generally felt the standard of Visual Diaries was again higher this year than in the
past and a greater proportion of diaries scored in the High and Excellent categories.
Markers indicted that the areas of Sculpture and Creative Photography were particularly
strong this year. The quality of the higher-end diaries seems to continually increase. Many
candidates displayed the accomplished use of a variety of media and a range of
sophisticated creative approaches to their work, using a diverse range of artistic skills and
strategies in their projects.
Comments on specific elements
Markers commended the level of self-reflection and evaluation by candidates, and this
practice will be an important one for the new courses when candidates will be required to
submit an artist’s statement with their Production submissions.
Three-dimensional studio areas, principally Sculpture, were particularly strong this year,
with many candidates displaying exceptional mastery of complex skills and techniques
based on sophisticated concepts and ideas. The ability of candidates to document
thoroughly the production of their studio work and display photographic records of
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materials testing and technical processes as the work progressed enabled markers to
reward them in all assessment criteria.
In accordance with the descriptors of the five assessment criteria, markers rewarded genuine
candidate-generated effort where research, drawing and design development were well
integrated. Markers observed that a weakness in drawing tended to influence the overall
quality of the diary, on both aesthetic and conceptual levels. However, this could be overcome
with conceptual strength and adequate documentation of process. The use of both
representational observed drawing and exploratory drawing needs to be promoted.
Diaries that scored highly were well integrated and displayed evidence of extensive
exploration of the topic or theme. These diaries also combined mature conceptual
understanding based on a range of investigations with technical mastery and a personal
voice. Markers made the point that for a candidate to gain high marks, it was necessary for
them to display evidence of extensive exploration of the possibilities offered them, rather than
opt for a stereotypical responses to the task. Good briefs resulted in a good diary. There was
an obvious link between exploration and enjoyment, and teachers need to ensure that they do
not provide tasks that foreclose the possibility of risk-taking or prevent students entering upon
a creative, intellectual journey.
Written examination
The written examination was worth 50% of the total examination and had a working time of
three hours. Each script was independently assessed by two markers.
Candidature
Year
Number
who sat
Number of
absentees
2009
820
45
2008
791
95
Summary
The written examination was generally well received with the majority of candidates
responding to most questions, suggesting the length of the paper was appropriate. Nearly
all candidates attempted all sections of the paper and most approached the paper
confidently. The format was unchanged from previous years. The paper allowed
candidates to demonstrate visual literacy skills in response to unseen images in Section
1,and to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of both Australian Art in Section
2 and International Art in Section 3.
The written paper showed good internal reliability of 0.87. This indicates that the sections
within the written paper were consistent and were comparable to that of the written paper
of the previous year (0.89). The mean for the total examination (practical and written
combined) was 60.10%, compared with last year;’s mean of 59.17%. The intenal reliability
of the total examination was good, at 0.77.
Australian Art 1930–1960 (Section 2) and Impressionism and Its Context (Section 3) were
once again the most popular themes selected by the most candidates. Western Australian
Art and Design (Section 2) and Modern Design (Section 3) were the least popular choices.
Markers reported that, in general, candidates demonstrated a good range of levels and
many produced original and well-argued essays.
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The most popular questions overall were 3, 8, 23 and 24. Fewer candidates in 2009 chose
the image-based questions in Sections 2 and 3 except for those attempting Questions 8
and 17. This was possibly due to an attempt made by the examiners to ask more specific
questions relating to the images. However, there was still evidence that these questions
were selected by weaker candidates who tended to describe and analyse the artworks in a
formulaic way and in many cases, provided little contextual or historical knowledge.
Markers expressed some concern about poor literacy skills and at times illegible
handwriting.
Comments on specific elements
Section One:
Question 1:
The markers considered the images to be well chosen and Question 1 offered the
opportunity for comparison and comment. The mean for this question was 57.11%.
The question was generally well handled. The markers commented on some effective,
succinct descriptions and interpretations of artworks including discussion about the
intentions of the artists.
Good answers looked at communication of mood and the implied explanation of a journey
– most candidates referred to this aspect. Better candidates addressed a broad range of
issues, balancing their personal responses to each work with a comparative formal
analysis and critical investigation of each painting. Disappointingly, weaker candidates still
concentrated on description. Very little reference was made to artistic genres or
influences.
Section Two: Australian Art
Australian Art 1930–1960 continued to be the preferred theme (432 responses) although
the Heidelberg School and its Precursors remained popular (326 responses).
Western Australian Art and Design was attempted by only 11 candidates.
Apart from those studying the Heidelberg School and its Precursors, most candidates in
each theme chose essay rather than image-based questions in this section. Some
responses were particularly sophisticated, with evidence of a broad range of historical and
contextual knowledge. However, those components were absent from many of the
responses to image-based questions.There appeared to be a general lack of knowledge of
artworks from the themes studied. Candidates generally needed to be more discerning
and critical when reflecting on examples of artworks to support their arguments and many
were unable to name and date artworks.
Australian Art 1930 – 1960
This theme, the most popular in Section Two, was chosen by 432 candidates.
The quality of answers to all three questions indicated that the theme was well understood.
Question 3 was by far the most popular from this theme with 261 responses achieving a
mean of 60.69%. The question appeared to be well understood with candidates who
provided sound to excellent responses.
Question 2 was also popular with 133 responses which were mainly satisfactory, achieving
a mean of 54.75%.
Those candidates responding to Question 4 showed a sound understanding of the
Antipodeans and the various groups of artists formed during this period (60.68% mean).
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Australian Art Since 1960
The most popular question in this section was Question 6 (38 from a cohort of 47 who had
studied this theme). There were some very good to excellent responses for this question,
which scored the highest mean (64.53%) for Section Two.
Only two candidates attempted Question 5, achieving a mean of 58%. Responses seemed
to indicate a lack of understanding of the humour implied in the images and a limited
knowledge of the relevant artists.
The 7 students who attempted Question 7 achieved a mean of only 36.29% – the lowest in
Section Two. The question appeared to have been misunderstood by the candidates, who
failed to make reference to Western Australian artists as required.
The Heidelberg School and its Precursors
This theme attracted a total of 326 candidates with 241 of those attempting Question 8.
Although some candidates produced high to excellent responses, most answers failed to
extend beyond description and simple analysis. Very little historical or contextual
knowledge was evident (56.46% mean) and candidates at times confused ‘nationalism’
with ‘naturalism’.
Question 9 was handled well by a number of candidates (mean 60.54%) with some
achieving high to excellent scores. However, weaker candidates appeared to lack
understanding of the ‘precursors’.
The few (13) candidates responding to Question 10 appeared to have a sound
understanding of the 9 x 5 exhibition and its context, and achieved a mean of 56.15%.
Western Australian Art and Design
Only 11 candidates selected this theme (5 in 2008). The responses (2) to Question 11
were poor, reaching a mean of only 42%.There were no responses to Question 12.
Question 13 was handled much more successfully with the 9 candidates achieving a
mean of 64.22% – close to the highest mean for Section Two of the paper.
Section Three: International Art
Impressionism and its Context continued to be the most popular theme in this Section with
411 candidates (from a cohort of 819) and Dada and Surrealism also popular with 152
candidates. Modern Design drew only 24 candidates this year. Across all themes, it was
generally felt that candidates responding to image-based questions were less successful
than those attempting the essay questions.
Art and Social Comment in the 19th Century
This part was done very well, with a more even distribution of attempts across the three
questions than in the other themes.
Question 15 attracted the most responses (36) and achieved the highest mean (70.78%)
for Section Three and for the entire paper. Most candidates demonstrated a high to
excellent knowledge of Romanticism and Classicism and the artists from these periods.
Some answers were outstanding with one candidate achieving the top score of 24.5 for
any question on the entire paper.
Questions 14 and 16 were well answered (means of 55.42% and 62.73% respectively).
The responses showed evidence of good background knowledge of the social and
revolutionary context of artworks from this period.
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Art, Technology and Utopia
This theme showed a greater consistency of results, with Questions 17, 18 and 19
achieving means of 60.31%, 63.38% and 62.38% respectively. This consistency was not
seen across any of the other themes. Question 17 attracted the highest number (39) of
responses for this theme compared to Question 16 (26 responses) and Question 18 (13
responses). Markers reported that questions were handled well and that a sound to very
good understanding of the theme was evident.
Dada and Surrealism
This was the next most popular theme after Impressionism with 152 candidates
responding.
Question 22 attracted the most attempts (83 candidates) with the majority of candidates
providing sound to high responses (mean 63.04%).
Candidates responding to Question 21 achieved a mean of 58.60%, generally
demonstrating a sound knowledge and understanding of Surrealism.
Response to the image-based Question 20 achieved a disappointing mean of 46.50%. A
number of candidates appeared to be familiar with the work of Magritte but showed little
knowledge or understanding of Man Ray’s ‘rayographs’.
Impressionism and its Context
Once again this was the most popular theme. However, although there were some
excellent responses to all three questions, there was concern expressed by markers at the
lack of in-depth knowledge demonstrated by many candidates. This year, 253 of the 411
candidates studying this theme chose the non-image-based Question 24, with 127
selecting the image-based Question 23.
Responses to Question 23 were quite disappointing (mean 49.72%). Candidates tended to
describe and analyse the images without fully addressing the second part of the question.
There was little knowledge shown of the artists and the context of the works.
Responses to Question 24 were mainly sound (mean 58.60%) although many candidates
failed to show an understanding of how light was captured by the Impressionist painters
and many answers tended to be repetitive.
Question 25 was attempted by 31 candidates and the responses on the whole were sound
(mean 54.97%). However, many demonstrated limited knowledge of Post Impressionism.
Modern Design
Once again, few candidates (24) attempted this theme.
Questions 27 (10 responses) and 28 (12 responses) were the more popular, achieving
high means of 67% and 67.67% respectively. There were some very good answers to
these questions with many responses indicating a comprehensive understanding of the
significant design movements.
The only two candidates responding to the image-based Question 26 were less
successful, scoring the lowest mean (33.00%) for the entire paper.
Pop Art
This theme was less popular in 2009 (68 candidates compared with 106 in 2008).
Only 3 candidates chose the image-based Question 29, obtaining a mean of 52.67% with
sound responses.
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Questions 30 and 31 were both popular with 32 (mean 66%) and 33 (mean 57.09%)
responses respectively. The more successful responses indicated sound understanding of
the distinction between the Pop Art movement in Britain and America and the influence of
popular culture on the Pop Art movement.
Issues for the relevant committee to consider
As 2009 has been the last year for the TEE Art examination, it is important to be aware of
aspects of the course that are relevant to both Art Theory and Practice in the new courses.
It has been noted that the more successful students of Art History have demonstrated both
knowledge and understanding of Art History themes and artists as well as the ability to
apply visual literacy skills to the analysis and synthesis of artworks.
This knowledge and understanding is important in informing the students’ own arts
practice and indeed many aspects of their broader education.
Acknowledgements
I wish to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of the examining panel and markers
for the 2009 examination. They are to be commended for their diligence and dedication to
the discipline.
Jean Aitken
December 2009
2009 examining panel
Chief examiner: Jean Aitken
Examiner: Genevie Baker
Examiner: Simon Blond
Examiner: Mavis Prosser
Chief marker (written): Mary Cassotti
Chief marker (practical): Bernard Kerr
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2009 TEE Art
Marking key for the written examination
Markers are reminded that the overall objective of the TEE is to rank candidates. The main
objective of the art history examination is to test candidates’ knowledge and understanding
of visual culture and their critical analysis skills.
References to personal experiences in the use of techniques and/or media should be
rewarded, as should evidence of broad purposeful reading around a topic. Well-expressed
and original critical responses to works of art or particular topics should be rewarded.
In marking answers based on the analysis of art works (see Illustration Booklet), it should
be remembered that candidates are not required to date or title art works. If a candidate
provides dates and titles, it may be considered as either evidence of sound contextual
knowledge, or as rote learning. Markers will have to make a judgment about this.
Markers should penalise evidence of rote learning by awarding less than best marks
however ‘successfully’ the candidate has dealt with the question in other respects.
Answers which provide evidence that a candidate has undertaken the course from a
limited reference base (use of inappropriate or very common examples) should receive
careful attention.
Markers are encouraged to use positive methods of controlling the range of marks (e.g. by
concurrently marking several answers to the same question). It is essential that the whole
marks range from 1 to 25 be used. A full spread of marks allows the art history
examination to play its full part in the overall ranking of TEE candidates.
General information
Image analysis
Objective:
 Demonstrate the use of critical language skills for describing, interpreting and
evaluating works of art.
Strategy:
 Compare works to describe similarities/differences in subject, style, technique,
content and to judge the success or otherwise of the works. Analysis and synthesis
of elements to interpret and judge the works.
Outcome:
 An individual response using critical language to interpret and make judgments
which are supported by visual evidence from the works under consideration.
Essay (images provided)
Objective:
 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of both Australian and International art
related to the themes selected for study.
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Strategy:
 Compare works to identify similarities/differences in subject, style, technique,
content. Art historical and contextual knowledge is applied in the analysis of works.
Analysis of organisational principles which are historically/contextually influenced.
Outcome:
 An individual response using the language of art history and criticism which draws
on knowledge and understanding of the selected themes.
Essay
Objective:
 Synthesise knowledge and understanding in both Australian and International art in
the discussion of general art historical/contextual concerns related to selected
themes.
Strategy:
 Discuss, or explain the production and reception of art works. Make connections
and see relationships between art, artists and society. Recognise how the social
and historical contexts of the visual arts.
 Analysis and synthesis of relationships, knowledge and understanding to construct
an argument or express a point of view.
Outcome:
 A fluent and well-considered response which relates artists and artworks to
relevant artistic, historical, social, political or economic contexts.
Criteria for the analysis of Art History
Art History
Analysis /Synthesis
Knowledge/Understanding
Use of Appropriate Art language
Literacy Skills
Analysis/Synthesis
Analysis refers to the ability to separate the whole artwork into its parts and to explain the
way in which the elements or parts are related or ordered to create form, content, meaning
and expression. Synthesis refers to the ability to bring several elements into a new and
meaningful whole. Analysis and synthesis tend to happen simultaneously in responding to
art works.
Knowledge/Understanding
Refers to the candidate’s understanding of the ideas and issues embodied in the question
and their ability to transfer relevant information to an answer which addresses the question
which has been asked.
Use of Appropriate Art Language
The use of appropriate terms and concepts related to art making, aesthetics, art history
and art criticism to describe and analyse art works and discuss broader contextual and
critical concerns.
Literary skills
Candidates’ written answers should reflect their ability to understand and use the conventions
of standard English to convey meaning.
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Scoring guide
Excellent
High
Sound
Limited
Inadequate
21
16
11
6
1
22
17
12
7
2
23
18
13
8
3
24
19
14
9
4
25
20
15
10
5
Section One : Image analysis
Question 1
See Illustrations Booklet, pages ii and iii.
A. David Bromley’s Lost (1990), B. Noel McKenna’s Bus Stop (1989).
Artworks A (Bromley) and B (McKenna) represent messages about people and the notion
of journey. Compare and contrast the style, technique and symbolic aspects depicted by
each artist. Explain how you might interpret each artist’s use of images to convey meaning
and attitude.
EXCELLENT
HIGH
SOUND
LIMITED
INADEQUATE
ANALYSIS &
SYNTHESIS
KNOWLEDGE &
UNDERSTANDING
USE OF ART
LANGUAGE
LITERACY
SKILLS
Analysis/Synthesis
Analysis refers to the ability to separate the whole artwork into its parts and to explain the
way in which the elements or parts are related or ordered to create form, content, meaning
and expression. Synthesis refers to the ability to bring several elements into a new and
meaningful whole. Analysis and synthesis tend to happen simultaneously in responding to
art works.
Knowledge/Understanding
Refers to candidates’ understanding of the ideas and issues embodied in the question and
their ability to transfer relevant information to an answer which addresses the question
which has been asked.
Use of Appropriate Art Language
The use of appropriate terms and concepts related to art making, aesthetics, art history
and art criticism to describe and analyse art works and discuss broader contextual and
critical concerns.
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Literary Skills
Candidates’ written answers should reflect their ability to understand and use the
conventions of standard English to convey meaning.
Syllabus statement
Image analysis
Objective:
 Demonstrate the use of critical language skills for describing, interpreting and
evaluating works of art.
Strategy:
 Compare works to describe similarities/differences in subject, style, technique,
content and to judge the success or otherwise of the works. Analysis and synthesis
of elements to interpret and judge the works.
Outcome:
 An individual response using critical language to interpret and make judgments
which are supported by visual evidence from the works under consideration.
Section Two: Australian Art
Australian Art 1930–1960
Emerging Modernism
Question 2
See Illustrations Booklet, page iv.
Images: Noel Counihan’s At the Start of the March (1944), Josl Bergner’s The Pumpkin
Eater (1940).
Compare the works C (Counihan) and D (Bergner). In your comparison consider the ways
in which the artists’ individual backgrounds have influenced their style and treatment of the
subject matter. Discuss how successful the artists have been in their attempts to represent
their perception of the social reality of the period.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
 Social Realist artists’ similarities, their backgrounds, reasons/motivation for their
artworks (i.e. social attitudes of the period, economic and political status at the time),
emphasis on the poor and economically depressed peoples of towns such as Melbourne
 Beliefs about the power of art to challenge and question social attitudes
 Adaptation of overseas styles in Australian artists identified, the effects of the unrest in
Europe – expressionism, surrealism
 Melbourne in the 1940s - development of the Contemporary Arts Society – Angry
Penguins, figurative expressionism
 Effects of the Depression and World War II.
 Counihan: A member of the Communist Party and the Workers’ Art Club. Compassion
for the underprivileged.
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
Bergner: Austrian born, Jewish refugee, first hand experience of Europe during and
after WW1, observed poverty in inner city Melbourne, also the perceived injustices
concerning Aborigines and the underprivileged. Influenced by Daumier.
Syllabus Statement
This period includes two important movements in Australian art. The development of
styles based on artists' encounters with abstract, expressionist and surrealist ideas and
the parallel development of social realism based on the experience of the Depression and
consequent social and political change. While each movement embraced overseas trends
and influences they did so in the context of local idioms by which they were able to
construct unique variations of style.
The study of the art of this period should be of interest to students because of the manner
in which a new vision about the nature and idea of Australia was forged by artists.
Students should be encouraged to investigate how the art of this period attempted to
identify the "essential" Australia through the adaptation of overseas styles, the use of
symbols from the environment and the use of stories and myth to elaborate this vision.
(2)
Description
This unit will examine the development of art in Australia from 1930 until 1960, indicative
of the emergence of Modernism between the wars. The course includes the work of
significant artists such as Sidney Nolan, John Perceval, Albert Tucker and Arthur Boyd as
representative of the new expressionist tendencies as well as artists whose stance
embraced social realism and included artists such as Noel Counihan, Josl Bergner and
Robert Dickerson. The unit will develop understanding by describing seminal events and
exhibitions of the time such as the Anti - Fascist exhibition, the Angry Penguins Affair, the
Dobell case and the development of the Contemporary Arts Society. Reference should
also be made to the Antipodean Group and Non - Objective Art.
(3) Key content points
(i) The Environment
- national identity (originality) - the universal and the regional (provincial)
(ii) The Centres
Melbourne in the 1940s; the avant garde and intellectuals, the CAS
and Herald Exhibition, the Angry Penguins; the rise of figurative expressionism and a
"national" school
(iii) The Artists
- emergence of significant women artists
- Drysdale and the "real" Australia; people in the landscape
Nolan and Boyd; use of narrative of history, myths and legend and
religious subjects; the place of humans in the landscape and folklore
- the urban response; John Brack, Clifton Pugh, Robert Dickerson
- The abstractionists; John Olsen, John Passmore and lan Fairweather
- Dobell and the Archibald Prize
(v) Overseas influences
- influences of art from Europe, exhibitions, reproductions, migrants
- the effect of social and political unrest in Europe
- Freud, Surrealism and Expressionism
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(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Noel Counihan, Josl Bergner
Question 3
A number of artists during the period between 1930 and 1960 used stories and myths in
their work in an attempt to create a particular image of Australia.
Discuss this statement in relation to the artwork produced in this period as well as
focussing on at least TWO of the following artists: John Perceval, Arthur Boyd, Russell
Drysdale, Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and to
demonstrate an understanding of the artists’ interest in conveying the particular concepts
of the urban and rural landscape of their chosen artists’ individual styles and influences, as
well as making reference to the following:
Knowledge of the selected artists from those indicated in the statement.
Drysdale’s images of the harsh reality of living in the outback influenced by his
observations made during a drought. Aboriginal influences on iconography, drought,
paintings depict Australia’s changing vision of the bush – no longer a place of freedom and
opportunity, but reflected lost hopes and decay.
Boyd’s use of Biblical or historical imagery in the context of the Australian landscape.
Member of the Angry Penguins. Imaginative paintings of both physical and spiritual
landscapes. Member of the Antipodeans.
Nolan’s use of stories/mythology (e.g. the bush ranger, Ned Kelly series). Symbolic
realism, Australian outback, historical paintings (Eliza Fraser) with dark moody themes,
exploration, influences of Modernist artists (e.g. Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, Rousseau,
aboriginal iconography.
Tucker’s Images of Modern Evil and the use of symbolism. Fear, trauma, anxiety, evil
and struggle as subject matter. Use of symbolism. Influence of surrealism.
Perceval’s use of ‘generic’ types of people to symbolise situations and social
conditions. Series of images of Williamstown, Melbourne port, Gaffney’s Creek. Emotional,
joyful, religious paintings, vibrant use of colour. Member of the Antipodeans.
Syllabus Statement
This period includes two important movements in Australian art. The development of
styles based on artists' encounters with abstract, expressionist and surrealist ideas and
the parallel development of social realism based on the experience of the Depression and
consequent social and political change. While each movement embraced overseas trends
and influences they did so in the context of local idioms by which they were able to
construct unique variations of style.
The study of the art of this period should be of interest to students because of the manner
in which a new vision about the nature and idea of Australia was forged by artists.
Students should be encouraged to investigate how the art of this period attempted to
identify the "essential" Australia through the adaptation of overseas styles, the use of
symbols from the environment and the use of stories and myth to elaborate this vision.
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In addition, reference to the adoption of Aboriginal styles and motif as well as its reappraisal as an aesthetic force by some artists will be explored.
Students may be interested to discover how much of the iconography and symbolism of
the period has been incorporated into popular imagery.
(2) Description
This unit will examine the development of art in Australia from 1930 until 1960, indicative
of the emergence of Modernism between the wars. The course includes the work of
significant artists such as Sidney Nolan, John Perceval, Albert Tucker and Arthur Boyd as
representative of the new expressionist tendencies as well as artists whose stance
embraced social realism and included artists such as Noel Counihan, Josl Bergner and
Robert Dickerson. In addition, reference should be made to artists who made important
contributions in individual or particular ways such as William Dobell, Margaret Preston and
Russell Drysdale.
The role of women artists of this period should also be discussed. Artists such as Grace
Crowley, The Proctor, Grace Cossington - Smith, Elise Blumann, Kate O'Connor, and
Margaret Preston should be considered in regard to their role in the development of
Australian art at this time and to the dominant position of male artists.
In addition, the role of Aboriginal art should be considered especially in regard to the effect
of Aboriginal iconography on the work of Nolan and Drysdale.
(3) Key content points
(i) The Environment
- The elemental landscape; isolation and distance (the Outback, the Dead Heart, the
Never Never)
- the imposition of the mythical and the visionary on the landscape
- the demise of Arcadia and Romantic idealism
- national identity (originality) - the universal and the regional (provincial)
(ii) The Centres
- Melbourne in the 1940s; the avant garde and intellectuals, the CAS and Herald
Exhibition, the Angry Penguins; the rise of figurative expressionism and a "national" school
- The emergence of Sydney in the 1950s and the rise of modern abstraction; looking
outwards to the world
(iii) The Artists
- emergence of significant women artists
- Drysdale and the "real" Australia; people in the landscape
- Nolan and Boyd; use of narrative of history, myths and legend and religious
subjects; the place of humans in the landscape and folklore
- the urban response; John Brack, Clifton Pugh, Robert Dickerson
- The abstractionists; John Olsen, John Passmore and lan Fairweather
- Dobell and the Archibald Prize
(iv) The impact of Aboriginal art
- Aboriginal art as a decorative device (Preston, Winthrop Hall at UWA) - Aboriginal art
as an aesthetic force (Drysdale, Nolan and Boyd)
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(v) Overseas influences
- influences of art from Europe, exhibitions, reproductions, migrants
- the effect of social and political unrest in Europe
- Freud, Surrealism and Expressionism
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Russell Drysdale
Noel Counihan, Josl Bergner, Arthur Boyd
Margaret Preston, Grace Cossington - Smith
Grace Crowley, The Procter, Elise Blumann
Question 4
Discuss the debate that took place in the 1950s surrounding figuration and abstraction in
Australian art. In your discussion consider some of the contributions of the Antipodean
group and consider the artwork of at least TWO artists who exemplified the aims of the
Antipodean Manifesto.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and to
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the different groups that formed during this
period (e.g. Contemporary Arts Society, Angry Penguins, Antipodeans) and the conflict
that arose between supporters of (a) figurative and (b) abstract art. Students should know
the Antipodean Manifesto:
[“The image, the recognisable shape, the meaningful symbol, is the basic unit of (the
artist’s) language … It is born of past experience and refers back to past experience - and
it communicates. It communicates because it has the capacity to refer to experiences the
artist shares with its audience.]
The manifesto defended the use of the image, and warned against the adoption by artists
of overseas fashion - abstract expressionism in particular.
The manifesto was seen by some local artists and critics as being in favour of
conservatism and as a call to isolate Australia from international art.
Candidates should also show an awareness of the differing trends and influences between
Melbourne and Sydney artists’ groups. Information should include:
 Antipodean exhibition of 1959.
 Artists associated with the Antipodean group: Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, David
Boyd, John Brack, Robert Dickerson, John Perceval, Clifton Pugh.
Syllabus Statement
This period includes two important movements in Australian art. The development of
styles based on artists' encounters with abstract, expressionist and surrealist ideas and
the parallel development of social realism based on the experience of the Depression and
consequent social and political change. While each movement embraced overseas trends
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and influences they did so in the context of local idioms by which they were able to
construct unique variations of style.
The study of the art of this period should be of interest to students because of the manner
in which a new vision about the nature and idea of Australia was forged by artists.
Students should be encouraged to investigate how the art of this period attempted to
identify the "essential" Australia through the adaptation of overseas styles, the use of
symbols from the environment and the use of stories and myth to elaborate this vision.
Students may be interested to discover how much of the iconography and symbolism of
the period has been incorporated into popular imagery.
(2) Description
This unit will examine the development of art in Australia from 1930 until 1960, indicative
of the emergence of Modernism between the wars. The course includes the work of
significant artists such as Sidney Nolan, John Perceval, Albert Tucker and Arthur Boyd as
representative of the new expressionist tendencies as well as artists whose stance
embraced social realism and included artists such as Noel Counihan, Josl Bergner and
Robert Dickerson. In addition, reference should be made to artists who made important
contributions in individual or particular ways such as William Dobell, Margaret Preston and
Russell Drysdale.
The unit will develop understanding by describing seminal events and exhibitions of the
time such as the Anti - Fascist exhibition, the Angry Penguins Affair, the Dobell case and
the development of the Contemporary Arts Society. Reference should also be made to
the Antipodean Group and Non - Objective Art.
The role of women artists of this period should also be discussed. Artists such as Grace
Crowley, The Proctor, Grace Cossington - Smith, Elise Blumann, Kate O'Connor, and
Margaret Preston should be considered in regard to their role in the development of
Australian art at this time and to the dominant position of male artists.
(3) Key content points
(i) The Environment
- The elemental landscape; isolation and distance (the Outback, the Dead Heart, the
Never Never)
- the imposition of the mythical and the visionary on the landscape
- the demise of Arcadia and Romantic idealism
- national identity (originality) - the universal and the regional (provincial)
(ii) The Centres
- Melbourne in the 1940s; the avant garde and intellectuals, the CAS and Herald
Exhibition, the Angry Penguins; the rise of figurative expressionism and a
"national" school
- The emergence of Sydney in the 1950s and the rise of modern abstraction; looking
outwards to the world
(iii)
-
The Artists
emergence of significant women artists
Drysdale and the "real" Australia; people in the landscape
Nolan and Boyd; use of narrative of history, myths and legend and religious
subjects; the place of humans in the landscape and folklore
- the urban response; John Brack, Clifton Pugh, Robert Dickerson
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- The abstractionists; John Olsen, John Passmore and lan Fairweather
- Dobell and the Archibald Prize
(v) Overseas influences
- influences of art from Europe, exhibitions, reproductions, migrants
- the effect of social and political unrest in Europe
- Freud, Surrealism and Expressionism
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Russell Drysdale
Noel Counihan, Josl Bergner, Arthur Boyd
Margaret Preston, Grace Cossington - Smith
Grace Crowley, The Procter, Elise Blumann
Australian Art Since 1960
Question 5
See Illustrations Booklet page v.
Images: John Olsen’s Journey into the you beaut country no.2 (1961),
Colin Lanceley’s Kindly Shoot The Piano Player (1964).
The element of humour and irreverence is evident in the works of E (Olsen) and F
(Lanceley). Discuss this statement with reference to the two works depicted. Explain the
contribution these two artists made to Australian art since 1960.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content, in particular what
it is to be Australian.
Candidates should show a direct link between the humour of the pieces and Australia,
titles are humorous as well, the absorption of European and American styles into
Australian Art – in particular Abstract Expressionism.
John Olsen landscapes (distinctive landscapes featuring birds, plants and animals in his
works after he travelled across Australia and was brought new insights into the native flora
and fauna) – the “You beaut” landscapes, influenced by Dutch artist – Corneille, Scots
painter Alan Davie after travels in Europe.
Colin Lanceley – asemblage, pop imagery, shared an interest in assemblage, collage, junk
art, found objects, and in non-Western art, influence of Olsen and Dubuffet.
Syllabus Statement
The way that contemporary Australian artists describe the world provides valuable insights
into life in Australia in the late twentieth century. In particular, the way that artists have
addressed the issues of being Australian is an important part of how we view ourselves.
The effect of a more open and diverse society since that time has created shifts in
Australian identity which are presently evident in our community.
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The major focus of the study will be the way in which ideas and artistic styles have
reached Australia and the ways in which they have been modified to suit local conditions.
The work of American Abstract Expressionist and Pop artists should be contrasted with
Australian artists working with similar in which these ideas were grafted onto the Australian
landscape tradition by artists such as Fred Williams, John Olsen, Brett Whiteley and
Howard Taylor will be explored
Key content points
Changing Perspectives
Australian Pop, (Colin Lanceley and the Annandale Imitation Realists) the impact of
visiting exhibitions and critics
The Landscape Tradition
Abstract Expressionism and John Olsen: The "You Beaut" landscapes
Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Colin Lanceley and the Annandale Imitation Realists, John Olsen.
Question 6
Australian artists have never been afraid of being controversial and have tackled politically
sensitive or challenging themes in their artworks.
Select at least two of the following artists and discuss their approach in the light of this
statement: Juan Davila, Gordon Bennett, Julie Brown Rrap, Mike Parr, Brett Whiteley.
Candidates should be aware of the current syllabus and demonstrate a knowledge of the
successive emergence of divergent styles and practices by artists such as Imants Tillers
and Mike Parr who in recent years have challenged the role of the artist and the nature of
art itself. Students should also be aware of the contribution of women and other groups in
making a contribution to these changing attitudes through the appropriation of subject
matter and techniques.
 Influence of America felt in Australia and the emergence of different styles and art
practice (i.e. performance art, etc.), the question about what art is.
 Juan Davila – complex interrogation of cultural, sexual and social identities, within an
international context incorporating text, found objects, appropriated imagery, photography
and other media; insightful critiques of themes, including the Australian political system,
the cultural aspects of late capitalism, the structures of the art world, sexuality, the
treatment of refugees in Australian detention centres in a series of nightmarish Woomera
landscapes referencing the suffering of detainees.
 Gordon Bennett – personal struggle for identity as an Australian of Aboriginal and
Anglo-Celtic descent. Examines a broad range of philosophical questions related to the
construction of identity; perception and knowledge, includes a focus on the role and power
of language, including visual representations, in shaping identity, perception, culture and
history. A look at Australia’s colonial past and post colonial present including issues
associated with the dominant role that white, western culture has played in constructing
the social and cultural landscape of the nation.

Julie Brown Rrap – feminism, photomontage, experimental photography, installations.
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
Mike Parr – video installations, male domination, new media used, performance.
 Brett Whiteley – surrealism, abstraction, line, mirror series. After 1960 work is abstract,
and fluid, increasing use of figuration, paintings became laced with images of sex and
violence, began to incorporate collage elements such as fibreglass shapes and
photographs.
Syllabus Statement
The way that contemporary Australian artists describe the world provides valuable insights
into life in Australia in the late twentieth century. In particular, the way that artists have
addressed the issues of being Australian is an important part of how we view ourselves.
During the period of post war economic boom Australians felt the impact of American
culture and power through mass communications and marketing. In addition, the effect of
a more open and diverse society since that time has created shifts in Australian identity
which are presently evident in our community.
Key content points
Entering the International Arena
Mike Parr: Performance art on an International stage
Cultural change
- Male dominance in the national and international art scene of the sixties
- Feminist perspectives in the work of Julie Brown-Rrap
- Multi-culturalism and the arts: working at the mar ins; the political art of Juan
Davila; the emergence of Aboriginal artists, e.g Gordon Bennett,
Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Mike Parr, Julie Brown-Rrap, Brett Whiteley, Juan Davila, Gordon Bennett,
Question 7
Western Australian artists have made a valuable contribution to Australian art since 1960.
Select at least TWO artists you have studied and describe the part they have played. In
your answer discuss examples of each artist’s work.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content, in particular the
section related to local artists.

Brian Blanchflower – inspired by ancient standing stone megaliths in Britain and the
relics in certain Aboriginal sites, explores inner relationship with nature.

Joan Campbell – watercolourist, landscapist, portraitist, ceramicist, craftsperson – use
of texture, form and colour,

Guy Grey Smith – European Modernism, landscapes of Kimberley and Pilbara,
constructivist painter (Cezanne influence).

Robert Juniper – evocative paintings of WA landscape, Paul Klee, Japanese
influences, poetic and visionary approach to landscape, particularly the outback and
desert, landscapes are a psychological and pictorial interpretation of space, blending
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feelings about the landscape and what is visible to the eye, identifiable objects appear
within landscapes, the images are often metaphorical.

Miriam Stannage – photographer, combines everyday images together, minute details
reflect psychology, narrative created by use of photography.

Howard Taylor –beauty of Australian landscape simplified to essential forms, worked in
karri forests, obsessed with the refraction of light through trees and foliage, and with
the ways in which light transforms, penetrates, bounces off, reflects from, and is
absorbed by surfaces. He recorded his observations in drawings, later turning them
into monumental sculptural recreations or distilling their essence into reductive,
abstract paintings.
Syllabus Statement
The way that contemporary Australian artists describe the world provides valuable insights
into life in Australia in the late twentieth century. In particular, the way that artists have
addressed the issues of being Australian is an important part of how we view ourselves.
During the period of post war economic boom Australians felt the impact of American
culture and power through mass communications and marketing. In addition, the effect of
a more open and diverse society since that time has created shifts in Australian identity
which are presently evident in our community
As well as the wide range of information in books, catalogues and films, students should
be encouraged to seek out contemporary Australian art and craft in local collections
Description
This unit will introduce students to the art of the past thirty years in Australia, with
particular reference to the work of some local artists and craftworkers.
The major focus of the study will be the way in which ideas and artistic styles have
reached Australia and the ways in which they have been modified to suit local conditions.
Key content points
The Landscape Tradition
Howard Taylor, Guy Grey - Smith, Brian Blanchflower, and the re-vitalisation of Western
Australian landscape painting
Cultural change
Feminist perspectives in the work of Miriam Stannage
Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Guy Gey-Smith, Robert Juniper, Joan Campbell,
Miriam Stannage.
Brian Blanchflower, Howard Taylor,
The Heidelberg School and its Precursors 1860 – 1900
Question 8
See Illustrations Booklet, page vi.
Images: Frederick McCubbin’s Down on His Luck (1888), Tom Roberts’ The Breakaway
(1891).
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Discuss the ways that the paintings G (McCubbin) and H (Roberts) contributed to an
understanding of an emerging Australian national identity. In your answer consider each
artist’s choice of subject matter and style of painting in recording scenes of Australian life.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:

Nationalism.

The impact of the natural environment and its unrelenting hardships, an understanding
of the importance of art on Australian culture and society.

The outback which was uniquely Australian.

Painting the environment, narrative and epic.

Mateship.

Roberts urged his fellow artists to “leave the suburban bush and paint the national life
of Australia”.

Hardship of settlers.

Influence of Impressionism and “plein air” painters in painting directly from life in the
bush.
Syllabus Statement
This unit examines the study of Australian painting from 1860 to 1900 with particular
emphasis on "The Heidelberg School" but inclusive of the precursors of this group. The
course includes the work of significant artists such as Sir Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts
and Frederick McCubbin and looks at the various locations and places from which they
worked.
The study also provides a context for the social and cultural forces that were evident and
describes how they were represented in the artworks produced.
The major focus of the theme is the importance of the natural landscape in providing the
content for much of the art produced but with some acknowledgement of other subjects.
Some reference to the place of women and their role as artists is included.
(3) Key content points
(i) The Precursors
- The pre-eminence of landscape
- European artists response to a new country - The Romantic landscape
(ii) Naturalism and urban experience
- specific locations - Box Hill, Mentone, Coogee, Sydney Harbour etc. - the study of
nature (the pastoral and lyric landscape)
- the city - urban roots of the artists and their training
- Australian Impressionism; atmosphere and light, tone and value
(iii) Nationalism
- the dignity of labour, mateship and egalitarianism
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- the artist as hero / rebel
- the emergence of a national style
- the literary context and history painting
(iv)
-
Australian "myths"
the "Heidelberg School"
the relationship of bush and city
the new world (paradise or prison)
the place of women, others (outsiders)
(v) Subjects , Exhibitions and Techniques
- differences in techniques and subject matter (eg. the bush and the city - landscapes
of labour, recreation, habitation and "tamed")
- landscape, the narrative and epic; portraiture and genre
- The 9 x 5 Exhibition
- "on the spot" sketches and studios
(vi) Influences
- the influence of Paris and London - English genre painting, plein air and comparisons
with French Impressionism
- travel, study and scholarships
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin.
Question 9
The Precursors and Heidleberg School artists’ intentions and responses to the natural
landscape differed. In your answer consider the influences on each artist’s choice of
subject and their style and technique. Refer to the work of at least ONE of the following
Precursors: Conrad Martens, Eugene Von Guerard, and at least ONE of the following
Heidelberg School artists: Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin, Arthur Streeton.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
a knowledge and understanding of the following:
 The importance of the natural landscape in providing the content for much of the art
produced but with some acknowledgement of other subjects.
 Precursors painted the Australian landscape through European eyes – the Romantic
landscape.
 Heidelberg School artists sought a freer, more spontaneous interpretation of the
Australian bush and painted generally out of doors.
 The Artists’ Camps.
 Conrad Martens – Colonial painter, born and studied in London, Known as Australia’s
first professional artist – travelled with Charles Darwin as topographical painter, known for
watercolours of Sydney Harbour,
 Eugene Von Guerard – Colonial landscape painter, Austrian, studied in Europe, gold
prospector in Victoria. Paintings of broad, detailed, panoramic landscapes.
 Tom Roberts – Member of the Heidelberg School. Born in England, studied in
Melbourne and London. Pioneer of Australian plein air painting. Established the artist
camp at Box Hill with McCubbin and Abrahams. Travelled in Europe, influenced by
Whistler and Bastien Lepage. Organised the 9 x 5 exhibition. Urban and outback subjects.
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 Frederick McCubbin – Member of the Heidelberg School. Melbourne born painter and
teacher, established the artist camp at Box Hill with Roberts, and Abrahams. Influenced by
Roberts’ interest in European Impressionism and later by his own travels. Pioneering and
landscape subjects.
 Arthur Streeton – Member of the Heidelberg School. Born and studied in Victoria. Joined
Box Hill camps, later founded the Eaglemont Artist camp. Conributed to the 9 x 5
exhibition. Painted in Melbourne and Sydney .
Syllabus Statement
This unit examines the study of Australian painting from 1860 to 1900 with particular
emphasis on "The Heidelberg School" but inclusive of the precursors of this group. The
course includes the work of significant artists such as Sir Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts
and Frederick McCubbin and looks at the various locations and places from which they
worked.
The study also provides a context for the social and cultural forces that were evident and
describes how they were represented in the artworks produced.
The major focus of the theme is the importance of the natural landscape in providing
the content for much of the art produced but with some acknowledgement of other
subjects.
Some reference to the place of women and their role as artists is included.
(3) Key content points
(i) The Precursors
- The pre-eminence of landscape
- European artists response to a new country - The Romantic landscape
(ii) Naturalism and urban experience
- Specific locations - Box Hill, Mentone, Coogee, Sydney Harbour etc. - the study of
nature (the pastoral and lyric landscape)
- the city - urban roots of the artists and their training
- Australian Impressionism; atmosphere and light, tone and value
(iii) Nationalism
- the dignity of labour, mateship and egalitarianism
- the artist as hero / rebel
- the emergence of a national style
- the literary context and history painting
(iv) Australian "myths"
- the "Heidelberg School"
- the relationship of bush and city
- the new world (paradise or prison)
- the place of women, others (outsiders)
(v) Subjects , Exhibitions and Techniques
- differences in techniques and subject matter (eg. the bush and the city - landscapes of
labour, recreation, habitation and "tamed")
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- landscape, the narrative and epic; portraiture and genre
- The 9 x 5 Exhibition
- "on the spot" sketches and studios
(vi)
Influences
- the influence of Paris and London - English genre painting, plein air and comparisons
with French Impressionism
- travel, study and scholarships
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin, Charles Conder, Arthur Streeton, Jane Sutherland,
David Davies, Clara Southern, Eugene Von Guerard, Louis Buvelot, Conrad Martens.
Question 10
Explain the role played by the 9 x 5 Exhibition of 1889 in the development of the
Heidelberg painters as a School. Outline the origins of the exhibition and consider critical
and public response to it. In your answer consider TWO artists with reference to their
backgrounds, styles, influences and their involvement in the 9 x 5 exhibition. Discuss
examples of their artworks.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
a knowledge and understanding of the following:
 A famous exhibition in Australian history which provoked local critics
 Fashionable décor.
 The term Impressionism was used by writers as a label for almost any slightly
controversial departure from the academic norm.
 The 9 x 5 cigar lid
 Critics considered the paintings as the artists’ raw material or studies for larger works
- not appropriate for public exhibition but excellent studies in the rough.
 Differences in techniques and subject matter (e.g. the bush and the city - landscapes
of labour, recreation, habitation.
 "On the spot" sketches
Syllabus Statement
This unit examines the study of Australian painting from 1860 to 1900 with particular
emphasis on "The Heidelberg School" but inclusive of the precursors of this group. The
course includes the work of significant artists such as Sir Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts
and Frederick McCubbin and looks at the various locations and places from which they
worked.
The study also provides a context for the social and cultural forces that were evident and
describes how they were represented in the artworks produced.
The major focus of the theme is the importance of the natural landscape in providing the
content for much of the art produced but with some acknowledgement of other subjects.
Some reference to the place of women and their role as artists is included.
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(3) Key content points
(i) The Precursors
- The pre-eminence of landscape
- European artists response to a new country - The Romantic landscape
(ii) Naturalism and urban experience
- specific locations - Box Hill, Mentone, Coogee, Sydney Harbour etc. - the study of
nature (the pastoral and lyric landscape)
- the city - urban roots of the artists and their training
- Australian Impressionism; atmosphere and light, tone and value
(iii) Nationalism
- the dignity of labour, mateship and egalitarianism
- the artist as hero / rebel
- the emergence of a national style
- the literary context and history painting
(iv) Australian "myths"
- the "Heidelberg School"
- the relationship of bush and city
- the new world (paradise or prison)
- the place of women, others (outsiders)
(v) Subjects , Exhibitions and Techniques
- differences in techniques and subject matter (eg. the bush and the city - landscapes
of labour, recreation, habitation and "tamed")
- landscape, the narrative and epic; portraiture and genre
- The 9 x 5 Exhibition
- "on the spot" sketches and studios
(vi) Influences
- the influence of Paris and London - English genre painting, plein air and comparisons
with French Impressionism
- travel, study and scholarships
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin, Charles Conder, Arthur Streeton, Jane Sutherland,
David Davies, Clara Southern, Eugene Von Guerard, Louis Buvelot, Conrad Martens.
Western Australian Art and Design
Question 11
IMAGES: I. Juniper’s Low Tide, Roebuck Bay (1986), J. Blumann’s Storm on the Swan
(1946).
Western Australian artists have been fundamentally concerned with the physical
environment.
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Discuss this statement in relation to the works by I (Juniper) and J (Blumann). In your
essay explain how each artist's interpretation of the Western Australian landscape shows
the influence of international trends and opens up a fresh approach to art in Western
Australia.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and identify how
the artists have responded to the landscape and social environment. Candidates should
also demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Juniper
 Introduction to Modernism through his studies at Beckenham School of Art, England.
Many teachers there were refugees from Germany – familiarity with the European art
world. Influence of works by Picasso, Renoir, Sisley, Braque, Matisse, Soutine, Klee,
Spencer, Moore, Japanese art.
 Evocative paintings of WA landscape, particularly the outback and desert, landscapes
that are a psychological and pictorial interpretation of space, blending feelings about
the landscape and what is visible to the eye, identifiable objects appear within
landscapes, the images are often metaphorical.
Blumann
 East German, - fled Nazi regime, settled in Perth.
 Studied art in Germany under Max Lieberman.
 German expressionism. Influenced by Kandinsky, Cezanne, Klee, Matisse, German
Expressionism.
 Promoted Modernist ideas in art and art education, Perth Art Group, combined
European modernist painting with direct observations of light and weather
 Style initially upset local WA critics.
Syllabus Statement
Knowledge of our cultural heritage provides a sense of place. Western Australia has a
rich and interesting visual culture which surrounds us and enriches our lives. Investigation
of the physical, social and artistic environment contribute to a confident sense of identity
leading to cultural and economic benefits and neglect of our heritage leads to a loss of that
sense of place which comes with pride in belonging.
There are many issues which can be addressed and debated by students in this course,
as they relate to the experience and heritage of most students. For instance, the role of
international exhibitions for promoting new styles and trends and the impact on an isolated
community can be considered. In the electronic age is physical isolation the disadvantage
some claim or is it an advantage allowing a more personal vision? Is isolation even
possible given the intrusion of mass communications into most lives? These and similar
issues can be raised for students studying this unit?
The unit takes advantage of works that may be on display in the major public collections
so that visits can be arranged to view these at first hand. Many of the works are in the
collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Western Australian Museum.
(2) Description
The unit examines Western Australian visual culture through paintings, sculpture, prints,
drawings. The over-riding theme is one which explores artistic responses to the
environment by adaption of traditions and materials to form a distinctive regional
expression and through the interpretation or questioning of international artistic trends.
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For teaching purposes, the unit is broken into a core unit which examines the main theme
'Responses to the Environment' and four individual modules, each of which examines an
aspect of the development of Western Australian visual and material culture in some
detail. By taking the core unit and a module, students should gain an understanding of the
main theme and how this relates to a specific area of development.
Students are required to study the core unit and ONE of the four modules listed.
(3) Key content points
"Australia's economic prosperity and social stability in the twenty-first century will be built
on the strength of our national cultural vision. ... Art shows how the past shapes the future.
... It can create a confident sense of citizenship, exporting the services, the expertise and
the cultural productions. " [Arts Facts 1993 an Australia Council position paper]
NB. While art, crafts, and architecture are an overall description of a range of practices it
should be noted that each art form and discipline within that has its own history, stylistic
conventions, languages and traditions.
(i) Core Unit Responses to the Environment
- principles and concepts underlying the major successive art and design styles and
movements to enable local work to be placed in context,
- the interpretation of international trends and styles,
- regional expression, the use of local materials and processes,
- the major issues which have affected Western Australian art since the early
nineteenth century such as the small population of the early years in a colony for
'gentlefolk' and the number of artistic people sent to the colony for their health,
- the attraction to the unusual flora of Western Australia,
- the quality of the light,
- the effect of wealth through mining (the gold rushes of the 1890s; Nickel Boom
1960s) and the flowering of local art,
- the availability of art journals (from the 1890s - 1914 and 1960s to the present)
enabling local artists to feel part of international movements,
- shortages of materials and information in the Depression and the wars,
- the impact of immigrant cultures, travel and TV (the global village),
- the influence of indigenous cultures.
(iv) Module 3 Modernism (cl930-1960s)
- the introduction of Modernism and its interpretation in the 1930s. - regional
expressions - the local practitioners responses,
- Modernism in the fine arts
- Modernism as a mainstream element in Western Australian art and design in the
1950s through galleries and commercial outlets and public buildings,
- The role of the Skinner Galleries, Claude Hotchin and David Foulkes Taylor's
Triangle Gallery,
(v) Module 4 Contemporary Responses to the Environment (1955-present)
- international movements such as Minimalism, Conceptualism and the return to
figuration as interpreted by Western Australian artists,
- contemporary artists responses to the physical and social environment,
- regional character in specific artforms such as painting, sculpture.
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Juniper, Blumann.
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Question 12
Artists and designers in Western Australian have always faced the dilemma of balancing a
response to international trends with the artistic traditions of an isolated community.
Discuss this statement in relation to the work of two of the following artists or designers
from the modules you have selected for study this year:
MODULE I: Frederick Garling, Margaret Forrest, Horace Samson, Louisa Clifton, Henry
Passmore.
MODULE 2: James W.R. Linton, George Pitt Morrison, Daisy Rossi, A.B. Webb, Beatrice
Darbyshire.
MODULE 3: Harold Vike, Herbert McClintock, Howard Taylor, Guy Grey-Smith, Kathleen
O’Connor.
MODULE 4: Rinske Car, Dorothy Erickson, Hans Arkeveld, George Haynes, Stuart Elliott.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the background and practice of their chosen artists.
All students should discuss core unit responses to the environment – placing the work into
local context.
MODULE I: Details pertaining to colonial viewpoints. Artists: - Frederick Garling, Margaret
Forrest, Horace Samson, Louisa Clifton, Henry Passmore.
MODULE 2: Regional variations. Artists: James W.R. Linton, George Pitt Morrison, Daisy
Rossi, A.B. Webb, Beatrice Darbyshire.
MODULE 3: Modernism – the introduction of this into local artists’ work. Artists: Harold
Vike, Herbert McClintock, Howard Taylor, Guy Grey-Smith, Kathleen O’Connor.
MODULE 4: Contemporary responses. Artists: Rinske Car, Dorothy Erickson, Hans
Arkeveld, George Haynes, Stuart Elliot.
Syllabus Statement
Knowledge of our cultural heritage provides a sense of place. Western Australia has a
rich and interesting visual culture which surrounds us and enriches our lives. Investigation
of the physical, social and artistic environment contribute to a confident sense of identity
leading to cultural and economic benefits and neglect of our heritage leads to a loss of that
sense of place which comes with pride in belonging.
(2) Description
The unit examines Western Australian visual culture through paintings, sculpture, prints,
drawings, photographs and craftworks. The over-riding theme is one which explores
artistic responses to the environment by adaption of traditions and materials to form a
distinctive regional expression and through the interpretation or questioning of
international artistic trends.
For teaching purposes, the unit is broken into a core unit which examines the main theme
'Responses to the Environment' and four individual modules, each of which examines an
aspect of the development of Western Australian visual and material culture in some
detail. By taking the core unit and a module, students should gain an understanding of the
main theme and how this relates to a specific area of development.
2009 examination report: Art
TRIM: 2010/5903
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Students are required to study the core unit and ONE of the four modules listed.
(3) Key content points
"Australia's economic prosperity and social stability in the twenty first century will be built
on the strength of our national cultural vision. ... Art shows how the past shapes the future.
... It can create a confident sense of citizenship, exporting the services, the expertise and
the cultural productions. " [Arts Facts 1993 an Australia Council position paper]
NB. While art, crafts, and architecture are an overall description of a range of practices it
should be noted that each art form and discipline within that has its own history, stylistic
conventions, languages and traditions.
(i) Core Unit Responses to the Environment
- principles and concepts underlying the major successive art and design styles and
movements to enable local work to be placed in context,
- the interpretation of international trends and styles,
- regional expression, the use of local materials and processes,
- the major issues which have affected Western Australian art and craft since the early
nineteenth century such as the small population of the early years in a colony for
'gentlefolk' and the number of artistic people sent to the colony for their health,
- the attraction to the unusual flora of Western Australia,
- the quality of the light,
- the availability of art journals (from the 1890s - 1914 and 1960s to the present)
enabling local artists to feel part of international movements,
- shortages of materials and information in the Depression and the wars,
- the impact of immigrant cultures, travel and TV (the global village),
- the influence of indigenous cultures.
(ii) Module 1 Colonial Viewpoints (c1826-1890)
- the influence of European traditions on the topographic artist in recording and
interpreting colonial landscape,
- the colonial artists response to the environment and adaption to it,
- the artistic interpretation of the human and physical environment,
- the role of the 'amateur' in recording their surroundings and the interest in natural
sciences,
- crafts of the leisured classes,
- the use of local materials in object making,
- crafts as livelihood or necessity,
(iii) Module 2 Regional Variations (c 1890-1939)
- the development of a 'plein air' painting school in the late nineteenth century in
Western Australia,
- the Aesthetic Movement in Western Australia at the turn of the century - the role of
the WA Society of Arts, and the Museum and Art Gallery,
- the 'will to be modern'- the role of Perth Technical Art School - variations on Art
Nouveau, the Glasgow School and Viennese Secession,
- the influence of the Heidelberg School and the dominance of a few key artists,
- the problems for sculptors attempting to practice in Perth,
- Art Deco - the continental style of' 25 - in WA between the wars,
the centenary celebrations of 1929 and nostalgia.
(iv) Module 3 Modernism (cl930-1960s)
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- the introduction of Modernism and its interpretation in the 1930s. - regional
expressions - the local practitioners responses
- Modernism in the fine arts, studio ceramics,
- Modernism as a mainstream element in Western Australian art and design in the
1950s through galleries and commercial outlets and public buildings,
- The role of the Skinner Galleries, Claude Hotchin and David Foulkes Taylor's
Triangle Gallery,
- The Womens’ Fine art and craft Societies,
- Scandinavian Modern in the crafts.
(v) Module 4 Contemporary Responses to the Environment (1955-present)
- international movements such as the post-war Craft Revival, Pop Art, Minimalism,
Conceptualism and the return to figuration as interpreted by Western Australian
artists,
- contemporary artists responses to the physical and social environment,
- regional character in specific artforms such as painting, sculpture, wood and
jewellery,
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
(i) Core Unit 'Responses to the Environment'
An understanding of the following terms and their meanings, beliefs or styles:
Romanticism
Impressionism
Aestheticism [complete design]
Arts and Crafts [the handcraft aesthetic]
Art Nouveau, [the desire to be modern]
Art Deco, [eclectic design sources]
Modernism and the International Style
The Modern Crafts Movement
Conceptualism
Minimalism.
(ii) Module 1 Colonial Viewpoints
Frederick Garling, Richard Farrington, Louisa Clifton, Horace Samson,
The Wilgie Sketch Club,
Margaret Forrest, Henry Prinsep, Herbert Gibbs,
Henry Reveley, Richard Roach Jewell, Abbot Torre,
Lady Margaret Richardson Bunbury, Louisa and Mary Clifton, Henry Passmore, Edwin
Duffield, George Hamblin.
(iii) Module 2 Regional Variations
The goldrush boom
Joseph John Talbot Hobbs, Edwin Summerhayes, George Temple Poole, John
Grainger.
Western Australian Society of Arts, the Museum and Art Gallery, Perth Technical
School.
Frederick M. Williams, James W. R. Linton, Mattie Furphy, William Howitt,
Gordon Holdsworth, Pietro Porcelli, George Pitt Morison, Florence Fuller, Daisy Rossi.
Between the wars
2009 examination report: Art
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William Leighton, Eustace Cohen, Flora Landells, Marina Shaw, Jamie Linton,
Edward Kohler, A. B. Webb, Fred Flood, Beatrice Darbyshire.
(iv) Module 3 Modernism
Between the Wars
W. G. Bennett, C. F. Mouritzen, Oldham, Boas, Ednie-Brown, Kathleen O'Connor,
Portia Bennett, Harald Vike, Herbert McClintock, Axel Poignant, Hal Missingham.
Post World War Two
The Skinner Galleries, David Foulkes Taylor's Triangle Gallery, Claude Hotchin
Gallery.
Elise Blumann, Geoffrey Allen, Robert Juniper, Howard Taylor, Margaret Priest, Eileen
Keys, Guy Grey-Smith, Helen Grey-Smith, Howlett and Bailey, Cameron, Chisolm and
Nichol, Julius Elischer.
(v) Module 4 Contemporary Responses to the Environment (1955-present)
The post-war Craft Movement,
The Craft Association (then Crafts Council of WA now CRAFTWEST Centre for
Contemporary Craft) and its connection to the Craft Council of Australia and the World
Craft Council.
Sandra Black, Joan Cambell, Eric Car-Driesens, Rinske Car, Greg Collins, Pippin
Drysdale, Dorothy Erickson, Bronwyn Goss, Bela Kotai, Christopher Robertson, David
Walker.
The Art Gallery of Western Australia and the importance of Robert Bell as Curator of
Craft
Contemporary artists responses to the physical and social environment,.
Hans Arkeveld, Brian Blanchflower, Stuart Elliot, Nola Farman, George Haynes, David
Jones, Robert Juniper, Brian McKay, Carol Rudyard, Miriam Stannage, Jon Tarry,
Howard Taylor, Jimmy Pike, Rover Thomas, Sally Morgan, Richard Woldendorp
Question 13
Art and Design in Western Australia have been discussed in relation to cultural and
economic developments. Explain the extent to which these factors affected the work of
artists and designers throughout its history. In your response refer to the works of two
artists, designers or craftspeople from the Module you have selected for study this year.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content. They should refer
to the Module they have selected and then identify the artists they wish to discuss. They
should also demonstrate knowledge of the following:
 The Goldrush – influx of immigrants
 The Depression
 The mining boom of the 1960s - effects on society and on the art world.
Syllabus Statement
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Knowledge of our cultural heritage provides a sense of place. Western Australia has a
rich and interesting visual culture which surrounds us and enriches our lives. Investigation
of the physical, social and artistic environment contribute to a confident sense of identity
leading to cultural and economic benefits and neglect of our heritage leads to a loss of that
sense of place which comes with pride in belonging.
There are many issues which can be addressed and debated by students in this course,
as they relate to the experience and heritage of most students. For instance, the role of
international exhibitions for promoting new styles and trends and the impact on an isolated
community can be considered. In the electronic age is physical isolation the disadvantage
some claim or is it an advantage allowing a more personal vision? Is isolation even
possible given the intrusion of mass communications into most lives? These and similar
issues can be raised for students studying this unit?
The unit takes advantage of works that may be on display in the major public collections
so that visits can be arranged to view these at first hand. Many of the works are in the
collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Western Australian Museum.
Various local museums, historical society museums, National Trust houses and churches
also hold a wealth of material culture which could be of interest to local communities.
Architectural subjects are mainly drawn from public buildings easily accessible to students.
The exhibition and public programmes of the universities and regional art galleries as well
as those of the commercial sector should provide additional opportunities for
familiarization with what can be the unique and exciting vision of the artists and designers
of Western Australia.
(2) Description
The unit examines Western Australian visual culture through paintings, sculpture, prints,
drawings, photographs, craftworks and architecture. The over-riding theme is one which
explores artistic responses to the environment by adaption of traditions and materials to
form a distinctive regional expression and through the interpretation or questioning of
international artistic trends.
For teaching purposes, the unit is broken into a core unit which examines the main theme
'Responses to the Environment' and four individual modules, each of which examines an
aspect of the development of Western Australian visual and material culture in some
detail. By taking the core unit and a module, students should gain an understanding of the
main theme and how this relates to a specific area of development.
Students are required to study the core unit and ONE of the four modules listed.
(3) Key content points
"Australia's economic prosperity and social stability in the twenty first century will be built
on the strength of our national cultural vision. ... Art shows how the past shapes the future.
... It can create a confident sense of citizenship, exporting the services, the expertise and
the cultural productions. " [Arts Facts 1993 an Australia Council position paper]
NB. While art, crafts, and architecture are an overall description of a range of practices it
should be noted that each art form and discipline within that has its own history, stylistic
conventions, languages and traditions.
(i) Core Unit Responses to the Environment
- principles and concepts underlying the major successive art and design styles and
movements to enable local work to be placed in context,
2009 examination report: Art
TRIM: 2010/5903
31
- the interpretation of international trends and styles,
- regional expression, the use of local materials and processes,
- the major issues which have affected Western Australian art, craft and architecture
since the early nineteenth century such as the small population of the early years in
a colony for 'gentlefolk' and the number of artistic people sent to the colony for their
health,
- the attraction to the unusual flora of Western Australia,
- the quality of the light,
- the effect of wealth through mining (the gold rushes of the 1890s; Nickel Boom
1960s) and the flowering of local art,
- the availability of art journals (from the 1890s - 1914 and 1960s to the present)
enabling local artists to feel part of international movements,
- shortages of materials and information in the Depression and the wars,
- the impact of immigrant cultures, travel and TV (the global village),
- the influence of indigenous cultures.
(ii) Module 1 Colonial Viewpoints (c 1826-1890)
- the influence of European traditions on the topographic artist in recording and
interpreting colonial landscape,
- the colonial artists response to the environment and adaptation to it,
- the artistic interpretation of the human and physical environment,
- the role of the 'amateur' in recording their surroundings and the interest in natural
sciences,
- crafts of the leisured classes,
- the use of local materials in object making,
- crafts as livelihood or necessity,
- architecture as practised in the colony,
- the invention of photography and its use in WA.
(iii) Module 2 Regional Variations (c 1890-1939)
- the development of a 'plein air' painting school in the late nineteenth century in
Western Australia,
- the Aesthetic Movement in Western Australia at the turn of the century - the role of
the WA Society of Arts, and the Museum and Art Gallery,
- the 'will to be modern'- the role of Perth Technical Art School - variations on Art
Nouveau, the Glasgow School and Viennese Secession,
- Federation architecture in WA,
- the influence of the Heidelberg School and the dominance of a few key artists,
- the problems for sculptors attempting to practice in Perth,
- Art Deco - the continental style of' 25 - in WA between the wars,
- the relative strength of graphic and commercial arts between the wars,
- the University of WA buildings,
- the influence of revival styles [English and Californian Arts and Crafts],
- the centenary celebrations of 1929 and nostalgia.
(iv) Module 3 Modernism (cl930-1960s)
- the introduction of Modernism and its interpretation in the 1930s. - regional
expressions - the local practitioners responses,
- American Art Deco - ‘Style Moderne’ in the urban landscape,
- Modernism in the fine arts, studio ceramics and photography,
- Modernism as a mainstream element in Western Australian art and design in the
1950s through galleries and commercial outlets and public buildings,
- The role of the Skinner Galleries, Claude Hotchin and David Foulkes Taylor's
Triangle Gallery,
- The Womens’ Fine art and craft Societies,
2009 examination report: Art
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- Scandinavian Modern in the crafts.
(v) Module 4 Contemporary Responses to the Environment (1955-present)
- international movements such as the post-war Craft Revival, Pop Art, Minimalism,
Conceptualism and the return to figuration as interpreted by Western Australian
artists,
- contemporary artists responses to the physical and social environment,
- regional character in specific artforms such as painting, sculpture, wood and
jewellery,
- the move to recycling of materials and found objects across artforms.
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
(i) Core Unit 'Responses to the Environment'
An understanding of the following terms and their meanings, beliefs or styles:
Romanticism
Impressionism
Aestheticism [complete design]
Arts and Crafts [the handcraft aesthetic]
Art Nouveau, [the desire to be modern]
Art Deco, [eclectic design sources]
Modernism and the International Style
The Modern Crafts Movement
Conceptualism
Minimalism.
(ii) Module 1 Colonial Viewpoints
Frederick Garling, Richard Farrington, Louisa Clifton, Horace Samson,
The Wilgie Sketch Club,
Margaret Forrest, Henry Prinsep, Herbert Gibbs,
Henry Reveley, Richard Roach Jewell, Abbot Torre,
Lady Margaret Richardson Bunbury, Louisa and Mary Clifton, Henry Passmore, Edwin
Duffield, George Hamblin.
(iii) Module 2 Regional Variations
The goldrush boom
Joseph John Talbot Hobbs, Edwin Summerhayes, George Temple Poole, John
Grainger.
Western Australian Society of Arts, the Museum and Art Gallery, Perth Technical
School.
Frederick M. Williams, James W. R. Linton, Mattie Furphy, William Howitt,
Gordon Holdsworth, Pietro Porcelli, George Pitt Morison, Florence Fuller, Daisy Rossi.
Between the wars
William Leighton, Eustace Cohen, Flora Landells, Marina Shaw, Jamie Linton,
Edward Kohler, A. B. Webb, Fred Flood, Beatrice Darbyshire.
(iv) Module 3 Modernism
Between the Wars
2009 examination report: Art
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W. G. Bennett, C. F. Mouritzen, Oldham, Boas, Ednie-Brown, Kathleen O'Connor,
Portia Bennett, Harald Vike, Herbert McClintock, Axel Poignant, Hal Missingham.
Post World War Two
The Skinner Galleries, David Foulkes Taylor's Triangle Gallery, Claude Hotchin
Gallery.
Elise Blumann, Geoffrey Allen, Robert Juniper, Howard Taylor, Margaret Priest, Eileen
Keys, Guy Grey-Smith, Helen Grey-Smith, Howlett and Bailey, Cameron, Chisolm and
Nichol, Julius Elischer.
(v) Module 4 Contemporary Responses to the Environment (1955-present)
The post-war Craft Movement.
The Craft Association (then Crafts Council of WA now CRAFTWEST Centre for
Contemporary Craft) and its connection to the Craft Council of Australia and the World
Craft Council.
Sandra Black, Joan Cambell, Eric Car-Driesens, Rinske Car, Greg Collins, Pippin
Drysdale, Dorothy Erickson, Bronwyn Goss, Bela Kotai, Christopher Robertson, David
Walker.
The Art Gallery of Western Australia and the importance of Robert Bell as Curator of
Craft
Contemporary artists responses to the physical and social environment.
Hans Arkeveld, Brian Blanchflower, Stuart Elliot, Nola Farman, George Haynes, David
Jones, Robert Juniper, Brian McKay, Carol Rudyard, Miriam Stannage, Jon Tarry,
Howard Taylor, Jimmy Pike, Rover Thomas, Sally Morgan, Richard Woldendorp
Institutions
WAIT (Curtin University of Technology), Praxis/Perth Institute of Contemporary Art,
Edith Cowan University,
Claremont Technical School (Claremont School of Art), Gomboc Gallery.
BMA - (now Department of Contract and Management Services) and the Art for Public
Spaces and percentage for Art Scheme now administered by the Artists Foundation of
WA.
Section Three: International Art
.
Art and Social Comment in the 19th Century
Question 14
See Illustrations Booklet, page viii.
K. Goya’s Third of May 1808 (1814), L. Courbet’s The Stone Breakers (1897).
2009 examination report: Art
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Compare the works K (Goya) and L (Courbet). Discuss the ways in which the choice of
subject matter reflects the intentions of the two artists. In your discussion explain how the
similarities and differences in the style and technique of each artist exemplify their
intentions.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
Art is capable of communicating or reflecting social and political ideas.
Social conditions of the times – artists commented on these.
Whilst realistically depicting actual events, artists made comments on political and
social issues of the time.
Background to the French Revolution and the consequent social, political and artistic
changes.
The rise of the bourgeoisie and their rights.
The Romantic Movement and the advent of Social Realism – knowledge should be
evident in essays.
Heroism and noble labour.
Goya – satire, paintings and etchings, tapestry and frescoes, keen observer of human
life, fantasies and inventions of his imagination with critical and satirical observations
of mankind. Bold, free, new style close to caricature, a series of etchings satirising
human folly and weakness, portraits became penetraing characterisations, revealing
their subjects as Goya saw them, religious frescoes. Broad, free style and an earthy
realism unprecedented in religious art. Influences – Neo classicism, Rococo,
Velasquez.

Courbet – leader of the French Realist movement, variety of subject matter: nudes,
scenes of nature – mostly seascapes, ordinary people doing ordinary things. Candid
observations, painted directly from life. Subjects were contrary to what was accepted
at the time. Influenced the Impressionists.
Syllabus Statement
The turbulent culture in which artists operated demanded an art which was more than the
production of objects of contemplation and beauty. Many artists of this century were
politically motivated and tried to make their art relevant to the world around them.
Students should be interested to discover how art is capable of communicating or
reflecting social and political ideas. They should also have an understanding of the
idealistic nature of the art which was produced at this time and acknowledge the manner
by which ideas and aspirations may be expressed through art. Additionally they may wish
to consider how artists dealt with stylistic questions in their work often in opposition to
competing social values and the demands of patronage.
Students will examine the background to the French Revolution and the consequent
social, political and artistic changes which occurred. They should also be familiar with the
Romantic Movement and the advent of Social Realism in regard to the character, beliefs,
and choice and interpretation of subject matter for these movements.
The students should be aware that these developments were premised on the desire for a
different society and will be able to acknowledge the social theories that were enunciated
and be able to describe how the art of the time reflected these beliefs. The effect of
2009 examination report: Art
TRIM: 2010/5903
35
publishing the Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels (1848) and its impact on society
would also exemplify this idea.
They should be aware of the representative nature of these artists and see that they were
exemplars of the major styles. e.g. the contribution of Francisco Goya, to the Romantic
movement or Gustave Courbet to Social Realism.
(3) Key content points
(i) Styles - idealism, naturalism, realism and romanticism
- -Romanticism - the partnership of reason and imagination nature and emotion, the
exotic, revivals of styles the sublime; adventure and solitude; poetic and
"psychological" truth; "stylistic independence"
- Social Realism the avant-garde, the heroism of modern life and the nobility of labour,
the beginning of "art for art's sake"
(ii)
-
The role of the artist
social critic and rebel
stylistic independence, originality and imagination, individual expression
fusing form and content in art
(iii) Cultural change
- academic and independent movements - contradictions and tensions; the self taught
and the trained artist : the Academy and the Independents
- the influence of progress, "improving" the past and "borrowing" from the past
- the rise of the avant-garde, the spirit of the age, "tradition of the new" and innovation
(iv) Social Context
- democracy, socialism and the rise of the middle class with individual rights
- pluralism of tastes and styles
- patronage and galleries - dealers, collectors, benefactors and the change of style and
subject matter and "one man shows"
(v) Artists
- The life, work and beliefs of Francisco Goya. The work of Gustave Courbet and his
response to the Romantics and the more egalitarian depiction of people in urban and
rural settings.
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Francisco Goya, Gustave Courbet.
Question 15
Romanticism tended to value individual emotional experience, while Neo-Classicism
tended to value rationality and ideals. Discuss the work of at least ONE of the following
Neo Classical artists: Jacques-Louis David, Dominique Ingres, and at least ONE of the
following Romanticists: Eugene Delacroix, Theodore Gericault, Francisco Goya. Explain
how each artist’s style, use of symbolism, and choice of subject matter demonstrate this
difference in outlook.
2009 examination report: Art
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Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
Romanticism – artists Delacroix, Gericault, Goya
 Social conditions of the times – artists commented on these – no longer just
depictions of beauty.
 Whilst realistically depicting actual events, artists made comments on political and
social issues of the time.
 Social realism.
 French Revolution - rise of the bourgeoisie and their rights.
Neo-Classicism – Ingres and David
 Characteristics of Neo - Classical Art based on morally uplifting themes and
classical imagery.
 Classical and Renaissance imagery and compositional structures.
 Idealism and art for everyone.
Syllabus Statement
Many artists chose to make art which was counter to the established structures and
traditions of society (like the writings of Marx) and attempted to change the idea of art to
one in which art was embedded in society rather than an adjunct to it. The turbulent
culture in which artists operated demanded an art which was more than the production of
objects of contemplation and beauty. Many artists of this century were politically
motivated and tried to make their art relevant to the world around them.
Students should be interested to discover how art is capable of communicating or
reflecting social and political ideas. They should also have an understanding of the
idealistic nature of the art which was produced at this time and acknowledge the manner
by which ideas and aspirations may be expressed through art. Additionally they may wish
to consider how artists dealt with stylistic questions in their work often in opposition to
competing social values and the demands of patronage.
Students will examine the background to the French Revolution and the consequent
social, political and artistic changes which occurred. They should become familiar with the
characteristics of Ne0-Classical Art based on morally uplifting themes and classical
imagery. They should also be familiar with the Romantic Movement in regard to the
character, beliefs, and choice and interpretation of subject matter for these movements.
Students will need to contrast the work of artists such as Jacques-Louis David, JeanAuguste-Dominique Ingres, Eugène Delacroix and others. They should be aware of the
representative nature of these artists and see that they were exemplars of the major
styles. e.g. the contribution of Ingres to Neo-Classicism; Eugène Delacroix and Théodore
Géricault to the Romantic movement.
(3) Key content points
(i) Styles - idealism, naturalism, realism and romanticism
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- Neo-Classicism - an art for all and the perfection of society idealism, reason and
naturalism, history painting and classical inspiration interpretation of the contemporary and
the ancient
- Romanticism - the partnership of reason and imagination nature and emotion, the
exotic, revivals of styles the sublime; adventure and solitude; poetic and "psychological"
truth; "stylistic independence”.
(ii) The role of the artist
- social critic and rebel
- stylistic independence, originality and imagination, individual expression
- fusing form and content in art
(iii) Cultural change
- academic and independent movements - contradictions and tensions; the self taught
and the trained artist : the Academy and the Independents
- the influence of progress, "improving" the past and "borrowing" from the past
- the rise of the avant-garde, the spirit of the age, "tradition of the new" and innovation
(iv) Social Context
- democracy, socialism and the rise of the middle class with individual rights
- pluralism of tastes and styles
- patronage and galleries - dealers, collectors, benefactors and the change of style and
subject matter and "one man shows"
- the achievement of status for art and the effect of writers and critics (e.g.Diderot,
Byron, Baudelaire, Proudhon, Thore)
(v) Artists
- Jacques-Louis David's work, style and political involvement with Republican and
Imperial France
- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingre's work and the varied sources of his imagery.
- The life, work and beliefs of Francisco Goya, Eugène Delacroix and Theodore
Gèricault and their contributions to the Romantic Movement.
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Francisco Goya, Eugène
Delacroix, Theodore Gèricault.
Question 16
The Nineteenth Century has been called “the century of revolution”.
Discuss this statement with reference to artworks that represent political comment. In your
answer refer to at least TWO of the artists you have studied.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
 the Industrial Revolution and its influences.
 Artists and their political, social commentaries.
 Karl Marx and the Communist Manifesto – published 1848 – its effect on artists and
society
 Many artists of this time were politically motivated and tried to make their art relevant
to the world around them.
 The communication of these ideals in artworks – how the artist has used the artwork to
make the comments.
 Cultural changes in society at the time.
 Rise of the middle class.
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 Many artists chose to make art which was counter to the established structures and
traditions of society.
Syllabus Statement
The Nineteenth Century has been called the "century of revolution." The rise of capitalism
and the growth created by the Industrial Revolution effected enormous changes both in
society and the art of the period. Many artists did not admire the changes they saw about
them and embarked on a critique of society or attempted to construct alternatives to the
new order.
Many artists chose to make art which was counter to the established structures and
traditions of society (like the writings of Marx) and attempted to change the idea of art to
one in which art was embedded in society rather than an adjunct to it. The turbulent
culture in which artists operated demanded an art which was more than the production of
objects of contemplation and beauty. Many artists of this century were politically
motivated and tried to make their art relevant to the world around them.
Students should be interested to discover how art is capable of communicating or
reflecting social and political ideas. They should also have an understanding of the
idealistic nature of the art which was produced at this time and acknowledge the manner
by which ideas and aspirations may be expressed through art. Additionally they may wish
to consider how artists dealt with stylistic questions in their work often in opposition to
competing social values and the demands of patronage.
(2) Description
Students will examine the background to the French Revolution and the consequent
social, political and artistic changes which occurred. They should become familiar with the
characteristics of Neo - Classical Art based on morally uplifting themes and classical
imagery. They should also be familiar with the Romantic Movement and the advent of
Social Realism in regard to the character, beliefs, and choice and interpretation of subject
matter for these movements.
The students should be aware that these developments were premised on the desire for a
different society and will be able to acknowledge the social theories that were enunciated
and be able to describe how the art of the time reflected these beliefs. The effect of
publishing the Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels (1848) and its impact on society
would also exemplify this idea.
To achieve this, students will need to contrast the work of artists such as Jacques-Louis
David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Eugéne Delacroix and others. They should be
aware of the representative nature of these artists and see that they were exemplars of the
major styles. e.g. the contribution of Ingres to Neo-Classicism; Francisco Goya, Eugène
Delacroix and Théodore Géricault to the Romantic movement or Jean-François Millet,
Honoré Daumier and Gustave Courbet to Social Realism.
(3) Key content points
(i) Styles - idealism, naturalism, realism and romanticism
- Neo - Classicism - an art for all and the perfection of society idealism, reason and
naturalism, history painting and classical inspiration interpretation of the contemporary and
the ancient
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- Romanticism - the partnership of reason and imagination nature and emotion, the
exotic, revivals of styles the sublime; adventure and solitude; poetic and "psychological"
truth; "stylistic independence"
- Social Realism the avant-garde, the heroism of modern life and the nobility of labour,
the beginning of "art for art's sake"
(ii)
-
The role of the artist
social critic and rebel
stylistic independence, originality and imagination, individual expression
fusing form and content in art
(iii) Cultural change
- academic and independent movements - contradictions and tensions; the self taught
and the trained artist : the Academy and the Independents
- the influence of progress, "improving" the past and "borrowing" from the past
- the rise of the avant-garde, the spirit of the age, "tradition of the new" and innovation
(iv) Social Context
- democracy, socialism and the rise of the middle class with individual rights
- pluralism of tastes and styles
- patronage and galleries - dealers, collectors, benefactors and the change of style and
subject matter and "one man shows"
- the achievement of status for art and the effect of writers and critics (e.g.Diderot,
Byron, Baudelaire, Ruskin, Morris, Proudhon, Thore)
(v) Artists
-Jacques-Louis David's work, style and political involvement with Republican and Imperial
France
-Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingre's work and the varied sources of his imagery.
-The life, work and beliefs of Francisco Goya, Eugène Delacroix and Theodore Gèricault
and their contributions to the Romantic Movement.
-The work of Jean-François Millet, Honoré Daumier and Gustave Courbet and their
responses to the Romantics and the more egalitarian depiction of people in urban and
rural settings.
-Édouard Manet and the emergence of formalism.
Art Technology and Utopia
Question 17
See Illustrations Booklet, page vii.
M Boccioni’s Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (1913), N Tatlin’s Model for the
Monument to the Third International (1919).
Discuss the significance of the artworks M (Boccioni) and N (Tatlin) with reference to their
attitudes towards new ideological changes and the visionary nature of their work. Explain
how both works celebrate the new machine age.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
Marinetti’s Futurist manifesto of 1909.
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The ideology behind Constructivism – the articulation of materials, modernity, dynamism,
seen as being close to Leninist ideals.
Umberto Boccioni - Futurist - sought to free art from the constraints of the past and
embody the glorification of speed and dynamism. He was concerned with conveying a
sense of time and movement and the interaction of a moving object and the space that
surrounded it. He also chose to depict man as a super being with the power of a machine.
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space

Bronze sculpture infused with dynamism and energy, appears to march forward.

Contours of the figure appear to be carved by the forces of wind and speed.

Evocative of an ancient statue.

Polished surface alludes to modern machinery – idealised by the futurists.

Shows the influence of classical sculpture – the Nike of Samothrace. However, the
body is reshaped to suggest machinery producing a new human form.

Vladimir Tatlin – Russian constructivist, influenced by Picasso’s combining of
heterogeneous materials. Aimed to produce sculptures which were “transmitters of social
truth” using common materials.
Model for the Monument to the Third International (1919).
 To be built in Moscow or St Petersburg after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917
 Iron, glass and steel
 Would have dwarfed the Eiffel Tower
 Form – twin helix 400 metres high housed three rotating geometric structures. A
cube, a cone and a cylinder that rotated one a year, once a month and once a day
respectively. Projections on to the clouds from the top were for propaganda.
 It was never built.
Syllabus Statement
In 1889 the Eiffel Tower successfully embodied the romance of the age of engineering. It
presided over an International Exhibition that celebrated the machine and the changes that
had been brought to modern life. It was indicative of an optimistic faith in progress and
improvement for all through the benefits of science and industry.
This course introduces students to those major shifts in understanding and examines the
way that artists responded to the events and ideas which surrounded them and describes
how the art of the period either embraced these new developments. Students may be
encouraged to acknowledge the impact that new technologies such as video, computers
and space travel have on their own lives.
Description
The major focus of study will be the first two decades of the century, however in general
students should be aware of the impact of the machine on the art of this century.
In this unit students will study how machines and new technologies altered our view of the
world.
Students should be aware of the differing images of machinery and new technologies and
be able to discuss using examples, differences in approach based on gender, social,
political or aesthetic views.
They should be aware that movements such as Constructivism were affected by the idea
of the machine. In addition they should also be familiar with the importance of architects.
Key Content Points
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Art and Politics
Tatlin's "heroic" art glorifying new technologies and his use of manufacturing techniques and
materials to make art - the avant-garde.
Key artists and movements
Umberto Boccioni – Futurism; Vladimir Tatlin-Constructivism
Question 18
New materials, technological advances and radical ideas influenced the sculptors of the
20th Century. Select at least TWO artists from the following group and demonstrate how
their work reflects these changes: Naum Gabo, Nicolas Schoffer, Jean Tinguely, Umberto
Boccioni and Marcel Duchamp
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:



Glorification of the machine – dynamism, abstraction, speed or movement (Futurism)
simultaneity, machine to help or destroy, “dumb machine”.
Mass communication.
Cubism and the influence of it – multiple viewpoints (relativity), world flattened, new
forms of transport, different ways of looking at depiction of the world – no longer any
traditional perspective.

Constructivism – constructivist manifesto.

Dadaism – nonsense art and anti-art concepts, Duchamp’s dumb machines.

Art and politics.

Orphism.
Syllabus Statement
Since the Industrial Revolution, new technologies such as steam power and machinery have
had a profound impact on art.
By the first years of the twentieth century it was apparent that science and the new
technologies and machines had instigated major shifts in our understanding of what it meant
to be human. This course introduces students to those major shifts in understanding and
examines the way that artists responded to the events and ideas which surrounded them and
describes how the art of the period either embraced or rejected these new developments.
Description
The major focus of study will be the first two decades of the century, however in general
students should be aware of the impact of the machine on the art of this century.
In this unit students will study how machines and new technologies altered our view of the
world. By focusing on particular movements in art which either glorified or criticised these new
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technologies, students will develop an understanding of the various positions adopted by
artists and how their visions contributed to a changing view.
Students should be aware of the differing images of machinery and new technologies and be
able to discuss using examples, differences in approach based on gender, social, political or
aesthetic views.
They should be aware that movements such as Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Constructivism and
post-war Technicist art were all affected by the idea of the machine. In addition they should
also be familiar with the seminal importance of Marcel Duchamp to a modernist aesthetic.
Key Content Points
The glorification of the machine
- dynamism, movement and abstraction
- speed and the beauty of the machine (The Futurist Manifesto)
- mass communication: use of newspapers to promote ideas (Marinetti
- the machine of reason or destruction
Changing perceptions of the world
- the world made flat: the end of traditional perspective; looking at the world from above
(buildings and aviation)
- Cubism: new ways of looking involving photography, cinema and the serial image and
the new forms of transport on the passage of time
- Cubism: employing contemporary scientific discoveries such as relativity to describe
multiple viewpoints and record simultaneous events
The "Dumb" Machine
- Dada: Non - sense and Anti - art
- Marcel Duchamp's "dumb" machines.
- the association of the machine with the human body and the creation of the "Large
Glass" as a document of human reproduction
- Jean Tinguely's self destructing machines, "Homage to New York"
Art and Politics
NB. Naum Gabo - wrote Constructivist Manifesto of Sculpture. Also was lecturer in
Bauhaus.
- Russian Constructivism: art for the people - art as production
Key artists and movements
- Umberto Boccioni
- Marcel Duchamp
- Naum Gabo.
Nicholas Sch6ffer, Jean Tinguely.
- Valdimir Tatlin
Question 19
Cubism and the art movements that were influenced by it inspired artists to view the world
in a different way. Select at least TWO artists you have studied this year who have been
influenced by Cubism and describe their contributions to the art of the twentieth century.
Give examples of each artist’s work.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:

The profound effect that cubism had on the art of the 20th century.

Glorification of the machine – dynamism, abstraction, speed or movement (Futurism)
simultaneity, machine to help or destroy, “dumb machine”.
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
Mass communication
 The stylistic characteristics of cubism – the reduction of colour, Multiple viewpoints
(relativity), world flattened, flattened forms, New forms of transport, different ways of
looking at depiction of the world – no longer any traditional perspective.

The influence of cubism

Pablo Picasso and George Braque began the movement.

Other artists: Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Fernand Leger, the Futurists, Vorticists
and Constructivists.

Constructivism – constructivist manifesto.

Art and politics.

Orphism, Vorticism.

Marcel Duchamp used cubist ideas in his Nude Descending a Staircase.
Syllabus Statement
Since the Industrial Revolution, new technologies such as steam power, machinery,
photography and the cinema have had a profound impact on art.
By the first years of the twentieth century it was apparent that science and the new
technologies and machines had instigated major shifts in our understanding of what it
meant to be human.
This course introduces students to those major shifts in
understanding and examines the way that artists responded to the events and ideas which
surrounded them and describes how the art of the period either embraced or rejected
these new developments.
Description
The major focus of study will be the first two decades of the century, however in general
students should be aware of the impact of the machine on the art of this century.
In this unit students will study how machines and new technologies altered our view of the
world. By focusing on particular movements in art which glorified these new technologies,
students will develop an understanding of the various positions adopted by artists and how
their visions contributed to a changing view.
They should be aware that movements such as Cubism, Futurism, Vorticism, and
Constructivism were all affected by the idea of the machine. In addition they should also
be familiar with the seminal importance of Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso to a
modernist aesthetic as well as the importance of architects, film-makers and designers to
the theme.
Key content points
The glorification of the machine
- dynamism, movement and abstraction
- speed and the beauty of the machine (The Futurist Manifesto)
- mass communication: use of newspapers to promote ideas (Marinetti
- the machine of reason or destruction
- Vorticism in Britain: Epstein's homage to the machine
Changing perceptions of the world
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-
the world made flat: the end of traditional perspective; looking at the world from above
(buildings and aviation)
Cubism: new ways of looking involving photography, cinema and the serial image and
the new forms of transport on the passage of time
Cubism: employing contemporary scientific discoveries such as relativity to describe
multiple viewpoints and record simultaneous events(
Art and Politics
NB. Naum Gabo wrote Constructivist Manifesto of Sculpture. Also was lecturer in
Bauhaus.
-Russian Constructivism: art for the people - art as production
Robert and Sonia Delaunay and the celebration of the modern
Key artists and movements
- Pablo Picasso, George Braque, Sonia and Robert Delaunay - Filippo Marinetti,
Giacomo Balla, Boccioni Umberto
- Jacob Epstein, Wyndham Lewis
- Marcel Duchamp
- Vladimir Tatlin, Alexander Rodchenko, Naum Gabo.
Dada and Surrealism
The Art of the Irrational
Question 20
See Illustrations Booklet, page x.
O. Magritte’s The Art of Conversation (19630, P. Man Ray’s Rayograph, (1928).
Compare and contrast Images O (Magritte) and P (Man Ray) making particular reference
to the innovations and inventions that are evident in the works. Explain how the elements
in each artwork make them true to their time.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:

Surrealism – unconscious, dreamlike quality, realism, automatism, Freud, unusual
things in unlikely places. Paintings, collages. Naturalistic (Dali), organic, sexual surrealism
(Miro), illlusionistic – extended to sculpture (Oppenheim).

Dadaism – different meanings attributed to found objects, the development of Dada
from Germany, Zurich, Paris and finally New York (Duchamp). Chance and simultaneity
(Arp), reaction to the war – use of found objects especially in sculpture), society seen as
responsible for the war, a reaction to that society.

Predominance of sculpture from found objects – “readymades” (Duchamp).
Magritte – objects placed in unusual settings, dreamlike compositions, unexpected
compositions, images are representational, symbolic significance in his work, ordinary
objects in unfamiliar settings.
 Unrelated elements, unexpected combinations.
 Dreams and the unconscious mind.
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Man Ray - use of photographs, accidental images used, spontaneous incidental side of
Surrealism, humorous, playful.
 Photograms intended to alter nature’s forms, not to record them, and to substitute
impersonal technology for the work of the individual.
 Process discovered by accident.
 Image P shows the playful, spontaneous side of Dad aand Surrealism as against
satire.
Syllabus Statement
Many modern artists and designers have claimed their work has in some way transcended
everyday rationality and conventional aesthetic attitudes. In doing so artists claim to
reveal some truth of human experience and reality. The apparently irrational has often
been seen as a means of not only defending humanity from the narrow and mechanistic
but also as a means of liberating the psychic and creative impulses. The Dadaists and the
Surrealists have been foremost in embracing these attitudes.
Students will be interested to study the works and the ideas which artists of these two
groups established because of the insights they provide into the psyche and the emotional
identity of people. They will also be attracted to the alternative or counter view of culture
which is expressed through much of the work of the groups. In addition they will be
attracted to the range of techniques and processes employed by the artists in a whole
range of ways but including the illusionistic and trompe-1-oeil.
(2) Description
The course requires the examination of the Dada and Surrealist groups that constitute a
major movement of art in the 20th Century. Students will be required to comprehend the
nature and beliefs of Dada and Surrealism as they were represented through artworks and
writings and examine the work and influence of central figures such as, Andre Breton,
Marcel Duchamp and Rene Magritte. They should be aware of the conditions and context
which led to these developments in art and have a clear idea of the variety of forms such
as, film, frottage and performance as well as the variety of styles, ranging from the
abstract to the illusionistic which were embraced. Students should be able to identify the
radical, intellectual and political stance which was implicit in these groups. Reference will
also be made to the contribution of women artists.
(3) Key content points
(i) Dada
- the nature of Dada; multiplicity of meanings, enigmatic and anarchic
- the distinction between Dada as an idea (Duchamp) and as a revolutionary act (Tzara)
and its development in Germany, Zurich, Paris and New York
- the methods of Dada; spontaneity, chance and intuition
(ii) Surrealism
- dreams, psychic automatism and stream of consciousness
- interest in psychoanalysis and sexuality (Freud)
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-
the metaphysical school and de Chirico and other precursors (eg Hieronymus Bosch)
the conjunction of the unexpected as a creative tool
(iii) Forms
- painting, collage, photomontage (eg Man Ray and John Heartfleld)
- objects, writings, events, actions (eg International Dada Fair of 1920)
- Frottage and cinema (eg Bunuel and Dali, Le Chien Andalou, Fellini's 8 1/2)
- improvisation,theatre, poetry and performance (eg Surrealist Manifesto, 1 924)
(iv) Context
- the tragedy of war and the corrupted society
- the loss of faith in progress and technology
- the contribution of women artists to the groups
(v) The Artists
Duchamp - "stupid as a painter" and ready-mades - art as intention or authorised art ?
Magritte - inverting perceptions and the importance of language
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray.
Question 21
The Surrealists believed images were shaped by the artist’s unconscious thought and
impulses. As evidence of this belief discuss the artworks of at least TWO of the following
Surrealist artists: Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Rene Magritte, Joan Miro, Meret Oppenheim.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
 Surrealism – unconscious, dreamlike quality, realism, automatism, unusual things in
unlikely places. Paintings, collages. Naturalistic (Dali), organic, sexual surrealism,
playfulness (Miro), illlusionistic – extended to sculpture (Oppenheim). Element of chance
in viewer’s response to artworks or juxtaposition of objects within paintings.
 Dreams, psychic automatism and stream of consciousness
 Interest in psychoanalysis and sexuality (Freud)
 The metaphysical school and de Chirico and other precursors (e.g. Hieronymus
Bosch).
 The conjunction of the unexpected as a creative tool – ordinary objects in unfamiliar
settings.
 Artist’s exhibits – unusual placement of objects.
Syllabus Statement
Many modern artists and designers have claimed their work has in some way transcended
everyday rationality and conventional aesthetic attitudes. In doing so artists claim to
reveal some truth of human experience and reality. The apparently irrational has often
been seen as a means of not only defending humanity from the narrow and mechanistic
but also as a means of liberating the psychic and creative impulses. The dadaists and the
surrealists have been foremost in embracing these attitudes.
Students will be interested to study the works and the ideas which artists of these two
groups established because of the insights they provide into the psyche and the emotional
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identity of people. They will also be attracted to the alternative or counter view of culture
which is expressed through much of the work of the groups. In addition they will be
attracted to the range of techniques and processes employed by the artists in a whole
range of ways but including the illusionistic and trompe-1-oeil.
(2) Description
The course requires the examination of the Dada and Surrealist groups that constitute a
major movement of art in the 20th Century. Students will be required to comprehend the
nature and beliefs of Dada and Surrealism as they were represented through artworks and
writings and examine the work and influence of central figures such as, Andrd Breton,
Marcel Duchamp and Rend Magritte. They should be aware of the conditions and context
which led to these developments in art and have a clear idea of the variety of forms such
as, film, frottage and performance as well as the variety of styles, ranging from the
abstract to the illusionistic which were embraced. Students should be able to identify the
radical, intellectual and political stance which was implicit in these groups. Reference will
also be made to the contribution of women artists.
(3) Key content points
(ii) Surrealism
- dreams, psychic automatism and stream of consciousness
- interest in psychoanalysis and sexuality (Freud)
- the metaphysical school and de Chirico and other precursors (eg Hieronymus Bosch)
- the conjunction of the unexpected as a creative tool
(iii) Forms
- painting, collage, photomontage (eg Man Ray and John Heartfleld)
- objects, writings, events, actions (eg International Dada Fair of 1920)
- Frottage and cinema (eg Bunuel and Dali, Le Chien Andalou, Fellini's 8 1/2)
- improvisation,theatre, poetry and performance (eg Surrealist Manifesto, 1 924)
(iv) Context
- the tragedy of war and the corrupted society
- the loss of faith in progress and technology
- the contribution of women artists to the groups
-
Magritte - inverting perceptions and the importance of language
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Max Ernst, Jean Arp, Meret Oppenheim, Andrè Breton,
Salvador Dali, Renè Magritte, Joan Miro.
Question 22
Dada and Surrealist artists uncovered the strange symbolic life of the most ordinary
everyday objects. Discuss the ways in which ONE artist from each art movement
developed radical alternatives to traditional art practice. In your answer refer to examples
of each artist’s work.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
 Dada and Surrealism - radical alternatives to the traditional.
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Surrealism – unconscious, dreamlike quality, realism, automatism, unusual things in
unlikely places. Paintings, collages. Naturalistic (Dali), organic, sexual surrealism,
playfulness (Miro), illlusionistic – extended to sculpture (Oppenheim). Dreams, psychic
automatism and stream of consciousness
Dadaism – different meanings attributed to found objects, the development of Dada from
Germany, Zurich, Paris and finally New York (Duchamp). Chance and simultaneity (Arp),
reaction to the war – use of found objects especially in sculpture), society seen as
responsible for the war, a reaction to that society. Predominance of sculpture from found
objects – “readymades” (Duchamp).
Magritte – objects placed in unusual settings, dreamlike compositions, unexpected
compositions, images are representational, symbolic significance in his work, ordinary
objects in unfamiliar settings.
Man Ray - use of photographs, accidental images used, spontaneous incidental side of
Surrealism, humorous, playful.
Syllabus Statement
Many modern artists and designers have claimed their work has in some way transcended
everyday rationality and conventional aesthetic attitudes. In doing so artists claim to
reveal some truth of human experience and reality. The apparently irrational has often
been seen as a means of not only defending humanity from the narrow and mechanistic
but also as a means of liberating the psychic and creative impulses. The dadaists and the
surrealists have been foremost in embracing these attitudes.
Students will be interested to study the works and the ideas which artists of these two
groups established because of the insights they provide into the psyche and the emotional
identity of people. They will also be attracted to the alternative or counter view of culture
which is expressed through much of the work of the groups. In addition they will be
attracted to the range of techniques and processes employed by the artists in a whole
range of ways but including the illusionistic and trompe-1’oeil.
(2) Description
The course requires the examination of the Dada and Surrealist groups that constitute a
major movement of art in the 20th Century. Students will be required to comprehend the
nature and beliefs of Dada and Surrealism as they were represented through artworks and
writings and examine the work and influence of central figures such as, Andrd Breton,
Marcel Duchamp and Rend Magritte. They should be aware of the conditions and context
which led to these developments in art and have a clear idea of the variety of forms such
as, film, frottage and performance as well as the variety of styles, ranging from the
abstract to the illusionistic which were embraced. Students should be able to identify the
radical, intellectual and political stance which was implicit in these groups. Reference will
also be made to the contribution of women artists.
(3) Key content points
(i) Dada
- the nature of Dada; multiplicity of meanings, enigmatic and anarchic
- the distinction between Dada as an idea (Duchamp) and as a revolutionary act (Tzara)
and its development in Germany, Zurich, Paris and New York
- the methods of Dada; spontaneity, chance and intuition
(ii) Surrealism
- dreams, psychic automatism and stream of consciousness
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-
interest in psychoanalysis and sexuality (Freud)
the metaphysical school and de Chirico and other precursors (eg Hieronymus Bosch)
the conjunction of the unexpected as a creative tool
(iii) Forms
- painting, collage, photomontage (eg Man Ray and John Heartfleld)
- objects, writings, events, actions (eg International Dada Fair of 1920)
- Frottage and cinema (eg Bunuel and Dali, Le Chien Andalou, Fellini's 8 1/2)
- improvisation,theatre, poetry and performance (eg Surrealist Manifesto, 1924)
(iv) Context
- the tragedy of war and the corrupted society
- the loss of faith in progress and technology
- the contribution of women artists to the groups
(v) The Artists
Duchamp - "stupid as a painter" and ready-mades - art as intention or authorised art?
Magritte - inverting perceptions and the importance of language
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Max Ernst, Jean Arp, Meret Oppenheim, Andrè Breton,
Salvador Dali, Renè Magritte, Joan Miro.
Impressionism and its Context
Question 23
See Illustrations Booklet, page xi.
Q.Renoir’s La Loge (1874), R. Cassatt’s Two Women in a Loge (1882).
Compare the paintings Q (Renoir) and R (Cassatt). Discuss each artist’s treatment of the
subject matter, and compare his or her style and techniques. Explain how the
backgrounds and attitudes of each artist are reflected in their representation of Parisian
lifestyle.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
Impressionism –
 Influence of photography, Japonism, Pointillism (Seurat), colour theory
 Limited use of black, broken colour, direct painting of subject. Subject matter –
landscape, city, figures, leisure activities of the bourgeoisie.
 Significance of the salons, salon des Refuses, subsequent Impressionist
exhibitions.
 Context of Impressionism – precursors and Post Impressionists.
Renoir
 Part of Impressionist group that met regularly
 Worked closely with Monet for some time
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
Compromised ‘pure’ Impressionism with a return to a more academic treatment of
subject -seen in the modelling of the woman’s face.

Lighthearted paintings predominantly of people in everyday activities – dancing,
enjoying life, no hidden meaning in paintings.

Subjects: bourgeoisie and contemporary Parisian lifestyle – theatre, etc.
Cassatt:

American artist, much of adult life in Paris.

Studied privately.

One of the few women painters of the period.

Women not accepted at Academy; not readily recognised or acknowledged as artists.

Friends with and influenced by Degas, Morisot.

First exhibited with Impressionists 1879.

Subjects: Women, children or both – engaged in everyday activities.

Painting: Two Women in a Loge

Figures more formal and self conscious than Renoir’s; merge more with background.

High key colour.

Impressionistic treatment includes faces.

Free, Impressionistic handling of paint.
Syllabus Statement
Impressionism was a movement in art which developed out of the plein-air approach to
landscape to capture the momentary effects of light and atmosphere and the fleeting
sensation. Impressionism occurred in Paris in a climate of reaction to the mannered and
sentimental nature of art that was authorised by the Academy. The art of the
Impressionists reflected the interest in the point at which the urban environment
had expanded rapidly and also in consequence of the radical changes in French
society.
This course introduces students to a movement in art which is accessible and highly
appealing. Students will be able to identify with similar qualities in their own experience
and be able to understand readily the derivation of such a style. The capacity for students
to transfer many of the concepts and conventions of Impressionism into their own activity
in the studio should exist as well.
(2) Description
In this unit students will be required to describe the changes in technique and subject
matter of Impressionism through to Post- Impressionism. Students should be familiar with
the careers and major works of Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Berthe
Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Auguste Renoir and George’s Seurat. They should be familiar with
the technical and stylistic differences between different artists that are studied. They
should also be familiar with the major exhibitions which defined the intentions of the
Impressionist movement, in particular the Salon des Refuses of 1863 and the various
exhibitions of the 1870's. Students should be aware of the commitment to direct
observation, the plein - air approach and its limitations and the development of colour
theory as an empirical approach by the Impressionists. They should also consider the
type and variety of subject matter that various artists employed with in the context of a
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changing society and acknowledge the metropolitan or suburban nature of that content in
much of the work. Students should also explore the different ways in which the human
figure and the nude were represented by artists such as Manet, Renoir, Degas and
Seurat.
(3) Key content points
(i) Techniques and subject matter
- the stylistic change from Impressionism to post- Impressionism
- use of colour and development of colour theory (Seurat and the Pointillists)
(ii) Changing Context
- the rise of the bourgeoisie and industry
- urban life and the growth of cities and the response to buildings and planning
- work and leisure - the cafe' society
- the shift from Academies to Salons and galleries, dealers and art as commodity
(iii) Women, representation and Society
- the depiction of women in painting
- women in art schools, women artists and their work
- the role of women in society
(iv) Aesthetics and Criticism
- the importance of critics such as Zola and Baudelaire
(v) Art for the time
- the impact of photography and Japonism on composition and design
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Mary Cassatt, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Question 24
Impressionist artists were intent on catching the fleeting effects of light on colour.
Discuss this statement with reference to examples of paintings by TWO of the following
artists: Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre August Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Camille
Pissarro. In your discussion explain to what extent the work of each artist exemplifies this
attempt to capture the effects of light on colour.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
Impressionism

Aspects of Romanticism.

Influence of photography, Japonism, Pointillism (Seurat), colour theory.

Limited use of black, broken colour, direct painting of subject.

Subject matter – landscape, city, figures, leisure activities of the bourgeoisie.

Significance of the salons, salon des Refuses, subsequent Impressionist
exhibitions.

Context of Impressionism – Precursors and Post Impressionists.
 Typical subject-matter: the bourgeoisie, landscape, theatre, picnics, boating, etc.
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 Impressionist techniques: broken colour, high key palette, informal compositions,
sketchy brushstrokes, use of colour in shadows, avoidance of black for mixing with
colours.

Plein-air painting.

Industrial development.
Syllabus Statement
Impressionism was a movement in art which developed out of the plein-air approach to
landscape to capture the momentary effects of light and atmosphere and the fleeting
sensation. Impressionism occurred in Paris in a climate of reaction to the mannered and
sentimental nature of art that was authorised by the Academy. The art of the
Impressionists reflected the interest in the point at which the urban environment had
expanded rapidly and also in consequence of the radical changes in French society.
This course introduces students to a movement in art which is accessible and highly
appealing. Students will be able to identify with similar qualities in their own experience
and be able to understand readily the derivation of such a style. The capacity for students
to transfer many of the concepts and conventions of Impressionism into their own activity
in the studio should exist as well.
(2) Description
In this unit students will be required to describe the changes in technique and subject
matter of Impressionism through to Post- Impressionism. Students should be familiar with
the careers and major works of Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Berthe
Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Auguste Renoir and George’s Seurat. They should also be able to
discuss the development of artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Paul
Cdzanne who emerged from the background of Impressionism. They should be familiar
with the technical and stylistic differences between different artists that are studied. They
should also be familiar with the major exhibitions which defined the intentions of the
Impressionist movement, in particular the Salon des Refus6s of 1863 and the various
exhibitions of the 1870's. Students should be aware of the commitment to direct
observation, the plein - air approach and its limitations and the development of colour
theory as an empirical approach by the Impressionists. They should also consider the
type and variety of subject matter that various artists employed with in the context of a
changing society and acknowledge the metropolitan or suburban nature of that content in
much of the work. Students should also explore the different ways in which the human
figure and the nude were represented by artists such as Manet, Renoir, Degas and
Seurat.
(3) Key content points
(i) Techniques and subject matter
- the stylistic change from Impressionism to post- Impressionism
- the nature of plein air painting
- the urban and the rural (Argenteuil, the Seine, Paris Boulevards)
- use of colour and development of colour theory (Seurat and the Pointillists)
(ii) Changing Context
- the rise of the bourgeoisie and industry
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- urban life and the growth of cities and the response to buildings and planning
- work and leisure - the cafe' society
- the shift from Academies to Salons and galleries, dealers and art as commodity
(iii) Women, representation and Society
- the depiction of women in painting
- women in art schools, women artists and their work
- the role of women in society
(iv ) Aesthetics and Criticism
- the importance of critics such as Zola and Baudelaire
(v)
Art for the time
- the impact of photography and Japonism on composition and design
- the art of sensations and the emergence of expressionism (van Gogh), abstraction
(Cezanne) and symbolism (Gauguin)
- reworkings (Bonnard and Matisse)
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, PierreAuguste Renoir, George’s Seurat, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Pierre Bonnard, Henri
Matisse
Question 25
The Post Impressionists attempted to produce a more substantial form of art expression
but not in the academic manner.
Discuss this statement by comparing and contrasting the paintings of at least ONE
Impressionist artist with ONE Post Impressionist artist. Use at least TWO examples from
each artist to explain the differences in composition, style and technique.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
Impressionism

Aspects of Romanticism

Influence of photography, Japonism, Pointillism (Seurat), colour theory

Limited use of black, broken colour, direct painting of subject.

Subject matter – landscape, city, figures, leisure activities of the bourgeoisie.

Significance of the salons, salon des Refuses, subsequent Impressionist
exhibitions.

Context of Impressionism – Precursors and Post Impressionists.

etc.
Typical subject-matter: the bourgeoisie, landscape, theatre, picnics, boating,

Impressionist techniques: broken colour, high key palette, informal
compositions, sketchy brushstrokes, use of colour in shadows, avoidance of black
for mixing with colours.

Plein-air painting.
Post Impressionism - differed from Impressionism - a reaction against the perceived
‘superficiality’ of Impressionism.
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
Post Impressionist artists adopted the Impressionists’ use of intense colour in
attempting to develop a more substantial form of art expression.

Distinct differences between Post Impressionist artists.

Cezanne: reduction of forms to solid planes, multiple viewpoints - believed to have
influenced Cubism. Landscapes, still-life, buildings, people.

Van Gogh: expressive, use of colour and brushstrokes influenced the art of the
Expressionists. Linear use of strong paint, movement in work. Still life, buildings,
landscapes, people.

Gauguin: simplified, decorative use of strong colour. Influenced the Fauves.
Landscapes, people, Tahitian subjects – symbolic representation of objects
Syllabus Statement
Impressionism was a movement in art which developed out of the plein-air approach to
landscape to capture the momentary effects of light and atmosphere and the fleeting
sensation. Impressionism occurred in Paris in a climate of reaction to the mannered and
sentimental nature of art that was authorised by the Academy. The art of the
Impressionists reflected the interest in the point at which the urban environment had
expanded rapidly and also in consequence of the radical changes in French society.
This course introduces students to a movement in art which is accessible and highly
appealing. Students will be able to identify with similar qualities in their own experience
and be able to understand readily the derivation of such a style. The capacity for students
to transfer many of the concepts and conventions of Impressionism into their own activity
in the studio should exist as well. There is also a wealth of text material available for
further study of the artists and the period that students should enjoy researching.
(2) Description
In this unit students will be required to describe the changes in technique and subject
matter of Impressionism through to Post- Impressionism. Students should be familiar with
the careers and major works of Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Berthe
Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Auguste Renoir and George’s Seurat. They should also be able to
discuss the development of artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Paul
Cdzanne who emerged from the background of Impressionism. They should be familiar
with the technical and stylistic differences between different artists that are studied. They
should also be familiar with the major exhibitions which defined the intentions of the
Impressionist movement, in particular the Salon des Refus6s of 1863 and the various
exhibitions of the 1870's. Students should be aware of the commitment to direct
observation, the plein - air approach and its limitations and the development of colour
theory as an empirical approach by the Impressionists. They should also consider the
type and variety of subject matter that various artists employed with in the context of a
changing society and acknowledge the metropolitan or suburban nature of that content in
much of the work. Students should also explore the different ways in which the human
figure and the nude were represented by artists such as Manet, Renoir, Degas and
Seurat.
(3) Key content points
(i) Techniques and subject matter
- the stylistic change from Impressionism to post- Impressionism
- the nature of plein air painting
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- the urban and the rural (Argenteuil, the Seine, Paris Boulevards)
- use of colour and development of colour theory (Seurat and the Pointillists)
(ii) Changing Context
-the rise of the bourgeoisie and industry
- urban life and the growth of cities and the response to buildings and planning
- work and leisure - the cafe' society
- the shift from Academies to Salons and galleries, dealers and art as commodity
(iii) Women, representation and Society
- the depiction of women in painting
- women in art schools, women artists and their work
- the role of women in society
(iii) Women, representation and Society
- the depiction of women in painting
- women in art schools, women artists and their work
- the role of women in society
(iv) Aesthetics and Criticism
- the importance of critics such as Zola and Baudelaire
- contemporary reworking - Clark and Pollock
(v) Art for the time
- the impact of photography and Japonism on composition and design
- the art of sensations and the emergence of expressionism (van Gogh), abstraction
(Cézanne) and symbolism (Gauguin)
- reworkings (Bonnard and Matisse)
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, PierreAuguste Renoir, George’s Seurat, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Pierre Bonnard, Henri
Matisse
Question 26
See Illustrations Booklet, page xii.
S. Liberty Designer’s Mirror in cymric frame (1909), T. Gray’s, Mirror (1926-8).
Compare and contrast the works S (Liberty designer) and T (Gray) identifying style, design
influences and the design philosophies behind each work. Explain how each artwork is
representative of the style and era from which it comes.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
 Art Nouveau which was seen as the first truly modern style had its genesis in the late
19th century.
 Women and design - as designers and consumers.
 Product design.
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Syllabus Statement
Design is all around us, yet few appreciate how fundamental it is to the way that we live,
work and enjoy life. Design not only encompasses the way things are made and used but
how they look and function. It is also about ideas - ideas about fashion, taste, culture and
society. An understanding of the development of modern design is essential to an
appreciation of contemporary life.
Although the course concentrates on the first half of the twentieth century, reference to the
influential ideas and developments in the 19th century should be made. Art Nouveau
which was seen as the first truly modern style had its genesis in the late 19th century and
conversely the Bauhaus school of Architecture and Applied Arts established in 1919
instituted the collaboration of designers and industry to overcome the challenges for hand
made traditions posed by factory production.
Social and historical forces and the influence of non-Western cultures all had an impact on
the various strands of modern design. Through exploring these influences, concepts such
as eclecticism, modernism and the avant-garde can be better understood.
Key content points
(i) The role of design and the designer
- the importance of design
- the influence of design on the quality of life
- communicating social and cultural values through design
- principles underlying the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Aesthetic Movement
(ii) Technology and Design
- mass production and design
- hand made versus the machine made
- new materials and their impact on design (e.g. steel, chrome, bakelite, plastic)
- the "machine metaphor"
(iii) Theory and Design
- the aesthetic concept of total design
- nature and organic form as the basis of design
- relationship of ornament and decoration to form and function
- Modernism and concepts of progress
- geometry as the new aesthetic principle (rejection of ornament and decoration) functionalism; concept of form follows function
(iv) Style, Fashion and Taste
- non-Western influences (e.g. Japanese, African, Egyptian)
(v) Products of Design
-product design (vehicles, furniture, glassware, ceramics, textiles) - architecture and
community design (cafes, theatres etc)
Key artists/movements/schools
Art Nouveau, Liberty designers, Eileen Gray
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Question 27
The concept of ‘truth to materials’, initiated by John Ruskin, became a strong influence on
the Arts and Crafts movement and on Modernism. Explain how this concept influenced
design choices. In your essay refer to the work of at least TWO designers or architects
from the following list: William Morris, Charles Rennie Macintosh, Marcel Breuer, Le
Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe.
Syllabus Statement
An understanding of the development of modern design is essential to an appreciation of
contemporary life. This course aims to provide a context for understanding contemporary
craft and design by exploring the major design developments which evolved during the
early decades of this century. These were the exciting pioneering years of modern art and
design which still have a significant influence on how we think about design today. For
example, the integration of all the arts - the fine and applied arts, crafts and architecture to create more unified and expressive environments in which to live.
Although the course concentrates on the first half of the twentieth century, reference to the
influential ideas and developments in the 19th century should be made, including for
example, the work of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. Art Nouveau
which was seen as the first truly modern style had its genesis in the late 19th century and
conversely the Bauhaus school of Architecture and Applied Arts established in 1919
instituted the collaboration of designers and industry to overcome the challenges for hand
made traditions posed by factory production. Bauhaus designs are still being produced
today .
Students should be encouraged to look at the situation today and look for parallels in the
past, and consider the many influences on our contemporary building and design forms.
The course includes the work and ideas of significant artists, craft practitioners, architects,
graphic, interior and industrial designers and the role of major institutions such as the
German Bauhaus.
(3) Key content points
(i) The role of design and the designer
- the importance of design
- the influence of design on the quality of life
- communicating social and cultural values through design
- John Ruskin, William Morris and Morris and Co.
- principles underlying the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Aesthetic Movement
(ii) Technology and Design
- mass production and design
- hand made versus the machine made
- new materials and their impact on design (e.g. steel, chrome, bakelite, plastic)
(iii) Theory and Design
- the aesthetic concept of total design
- nature and organic form as the basis of design
(v) Products of Design
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- product design (vehicles, furniture, glassware, ceramics, textiles) - architecture and
community design (cafes, theatres etc)
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
- John Ruskin; William Morris and Morris and Co.
- The Arts and Crafts Movement and the Aesthetic Movement
- Charles Rennie Mackintosh,
- The Bauhaus
Question 28
The concept of ‘form follows function’ was one of the fundamental principles of modern
architecture and design. Analyse the relationship between form and function in the work of
at least two architects or designers that you have studied this year.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
 Design - not only encompasses the way things are made and used but how they look
and function.
 Major design developments which evolved during the early decades of this century the exciting pioneering years of modern art and design which still have a significant
influence on how we think about design today. For example, the integration of all the arts the fine and applied arts, crafts and architecture - to create more unified and expressive
environments in which to live.
 The Bauhaus school of Architecture and Applied Arts established in 1919 - instituted
the collaboration of designers and industry to overcome the challenges for hand made
traditions posed by factory production. Bauhaus designs are still being produced today
 Students should consider the situation today - look for parallels in the past, and
consider the many influences on our contemporary building and design forms.
Syllabus Statement
An understanding of the development of modern design is essential to an appreciation of
contemporary life. This course aims to provide a context for understanding contemporary
craft and design by exploring the major design developments which evolved during the
early decades of this century. These were the exciting pioneering years of modern art and
design which still have a significant influence on how we think about design today. For
example, the integration of all the arts - the fine and applied arts, crafts and architecture to create more unified and expressive environments in which to live.
Although the course concentrates on the first half of the twentieth century, reference to the
influential ideas and developments in the 19th century should be made, including for
example, the work of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. Art Nouveau
which was seen as the first truly modern style had its genesis in the late 19th century and
conversely the Bauhaus school of Architecture and Applied Arts established in 1919
instituted the collaboration of designers and industry to overcome the challenges for hand
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made traditions posed by factory production. Bauhaus designs are still being produced
today .
Students should be encouraged to look at the situation today and look for parallels in the
past, and consider the many influences on our contemporary building and design forms.
The course includes the work and ideas of significant artists, craft practitioners, architects,
graphic, interior and industrial designers and the role of major institutions such as the
German Bauhaus.
.
(3) Key content points
(i) The role of design and the designer
- the importance of design
- the influence of design on the quality of life
(ii) Technology and Design
- mass production and design
- new materials and their impact on design (e.g. steel, chrome, bakelite, plastic)
- the "machine metaphor"
(iii) Theory and Design
- the aesthetic concept of total design
- relationship of ornament and decoration to form and function
- Modernism and concepts of progress
- geometry as the new aesthetic principle (rejection of ornament and decoration) functionalism; concept of form follows function
(v) Products of Design
- product design (vehicles, furniture, glassware, ceramics, textiles) - architecture and
community design (cafes, theatres etc)
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Bauhaus
- Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, Annie Albers, Gunta Stozl, Le
Corbusier (Charles Edward Jeanneret), Mies van der Rohe
America
- Industrial design and streamstyle - Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Geddes
Pop Art
Question 29
See Illustration Booklet Page xiii.
U. Paolozzi’s Meet the People (1948), V. Kitaj’s The Autumn of Central Paris [after Walter
Benjamin] (1972).
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Compare and contrast image U (Paolozzi) with image V (Kitaj). Analyse the
different styles and techniques that have been employed. In your answer explain
why the artists have made these choices and how the images can be regarded as
exploring the central issues of Pop Art.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
 Commercial brands used, mass media, consumerism.
 Comics, cartoons, television, computers, print.
 Repetition of images, reproduction, commercial.
 Affordable art – advertising, everyday objects.
 Attitude – cool, tongue in cheek, ironic, - art not really original but appropriated by
other artists.
 New realist art – combination of media (assemblages, collages, mixed media).
 American iconography – mass consumption – food, pop idols, film stars, etc.
 Started in Britain in the 1850s and 60s (Richard Hamilton, Eduardo Paolozzi).
 Mostly American (Warhol, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg).
 Influences – Dadaism (Duchamp’s “readymades”).
Syllabus Statement
An interest in the origin and the development of modern art's engagement with popular
culture has emerged in modern times. The relationship between "high art" and popular
culture is a complex one in where both need and use each other to define themselves. A
manifestation of this relationship occurred in the 1950s with the Independent Group in
Britain and continues today through the work of artists, historians and writers. Pop Art is a
form of artistic comment which has established itself as a distinct movement in the larger
field of art and retains its appeal to the present day.
An understanding of Pop Art should give students an idea of how their culture is produced
and how they can critically engage with their culture.
Students may be particularly interested in the way that social roles are often represented
and constructed in popular culture and the media, often derived from the traditions of art,
and how these have been portrayed. e.-g. the "pin-up" or "sex symbol"; the violence of
comic book art; the effect of repetition on unique identity etc.
This unit examines the following areas within the history of Pop Art.
First of all, the work of the British Pop artists of the 50s and 60s; Hamilton, Paolozzi, Kitaj,
Hockney and the Independent Group. Students should be aware of the crucial differences
between the evolution of Pop Art in each country by considering the differences between
specific artists, (e.g.Hockney and Warhol) and the conditions in each country which gave
rise to a different sensibility. Students should understand the distinctions that were drawn
between High art and the emergence of a new aesthetic which drew upon the popular, folk
and kitsch forms of culture within society.
They will also understand the particular impact of mass media in the production of the
"new realist art "
(3) Key content points
(i) The advent of the consumer society
- The Americanisation of world culture
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-
mass consumption and communications
post war reconstructed societies - affluence and materialism (or absence)
(ii)
-
Style
"good" and "bad" art and kitsch
unlimited and commonplace subject matter (figuration)
"industrial and commercial style" and technique
ambiguity of stance and attitude - e.g. cool, ironic, etc.
transforming the world or imitating the world ?
(iii) The context
- The American Dream
- the machine, print, photograph, cartoons, film, TV, multi media, computers.
(iv) From art to life
- anti-art and anti-modern - the demise of the avant garde
(v)
-
Appropriation of forms
combines, assemblage, mixed media
reproduction, serial images and facsimile
art as sign and art commodified
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Éduardo Paolozzi, R B Kitaj
Question 30
Art in Western culture has traditionally maintained a clear distinction between art and real
life. Explain the ways in which Pop Art challenged and contradicted this distinction. In your
response discuss the work of at least TWO of the following artists: Richard Hamilton,
Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenberg, Andy Warhol.
Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
 Commercial brands used, mass media, consumerism. Brands used, mass media,
consumerism.
 Comics, cartoons, television, computers, print.
 Repetition of images, reproduction, commercial.
 Affordable art – advertising, everyday objects.
 Attitude – cool, tongue in cheek, ironic - art not really original but appropriated by
other artists
 New realist art – combination of media (assemblages, collages, mixed media).
 American iconography – mass consumption – food, pop idols, film stars, etc.
 Started in Britain in the 1850s and 60s (Richard Hamilton, Eduardo Paolozzi).
 Mostly American (Warhol, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg).
 Influences – Dadaism (Duchamp’s “readymades”).
Syllabus Statement
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Pop Art is a form of artistic comment which has established itself as a distinct movement in
the larger field of art and retains its appeal to the present day. It is accessible because of
its representational and decorative appeal as well as its reference to our daily lives. . Pop
Art has proposed ways in which art can be imbued with a distinct identity but which
absolves the artist from the necessity of "originality". An understanding of Pop Art should
give students an idea of how their culture is produced and how they can critically engage
with their culture.
This unit examines the following areas within the history of Pop Art.
First of all, the work of the British Pop artists of the 50s and 60s; Hamilton, Paolozzi, Kitaj,
Hockney and the Independent Group. Secondly, the work of American Pop artists;
Warhol, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg, Wesselman and their supporters
They will also understand the particular impact of mass media in the production of the
"new realist art " and be familiar with the origins of Pop Art in the work of Duchamp and
the dadaists.
(3) Key content points
(i) The advent of the consumer society
mass consumption and communications
(ii) Style
-
"industrial and commercial style" and technique
ambiguity of stance and attitude - e.g. cool, ironic, etc.
(iii)The context
the critics; Greenberg, Selz and Rosenberg - opposition to the new
the machine, print, photograph, cartoons, film.
(iv) From art to life
Neo - dada and the influence of Duchamp and "ready-mades"
the "gap between art and life"
anti-art and anti-modern - the demise of the avant garde
(v) Appropriation of forms
combines, assemblage, mixed media
reproduction, serial images and facsimile
art as sign and art commodified
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg,
Warhol, Richard Hamilton.
Roy Lichtenstein, Andy
Question 31
Art can be seen as being an expression of the identity of the artist. Choose at least TWO
Pop artists, one of whom upholds this view while the other contradicts it. Explain how the
media, styles and techniques each employed enabled them to explore their different
attitudes to this issue.
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Candidates would be expected to address the relevant syllabus content and demonstrate
knowledge of the following:
 Commercial brands used, mass media, consumerism.
 Comics, cartoons, television, computers, print.
 Repetition of images, reproduction, commercial.
 Affordable art – advertising, everyday objects.
 Attitude – cool, tongue in cheek, ironic - art not really original but appropriated by other
artists.
 New realist art – combination of media (assemblages, collages, mixed media).




American iconography – mass consumption – food, pop idols, film stars, etc.
Started in Britain in the 1850s and 60s (Richard Hamilton, Eduardo Paolozzi).
Mostly American (Warhol, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg).
Influences – Dadaism (Duchamp’s “readymades”).
Syllabus Statement
Pop Art is a form of artistic comment which has established itself as a distinct movement in
the larger field of art and retains its appeal to the present day. It is accessible because of
its representational and decorative appeal as well as its reference to our daily lives. Pop
Art has proposed ways in which art can be imbued with a distinct identity but which
absolves the artist from the necessity of "originality".
Students should be aware of the crucial differences between the evolution of Pop Art in
each country by considering the differences between specific artists, (e.g.Hockney and
Warhol) and the conditions in each country which gave rise to a different sensibility.
They will also understand the particular impact of mass media in the production of the
"new realist art " and be familiar with the origins of Pop Art in the work of Duchamp and
the dadaists.
(3) Key content points
(i) The advent of the consumer society
- The Americanisation of world culture
- mass consumption and communications
(ii) Style
- unlimited and commonplace subject matter (figuration)
- "industrial and commercial style" and technique
- ambiguity of stance and attitude - e.g. cool, ironic, etc.
(iii) The context
- the critics; Greenberg, Selz and Rosenberg - opposition to the new
- the machine, print, photograph, cartoons, film, TV, multi media, computers.
(iv) From art to life
- Neo - dada and the influence of Duchamp and "ready-mades"
- the "gap between art and life"
- anti-art and anti-modern - the demise of the avant garde
(v) Appropriation of forms
- combines, assemblage, mixed media
2009 examination report: Art
TRIM: 2010/5903
64
-
events, happenings and installations
reproduction, serial images and facsimile
art as sign and art commodified
(4) Key Artists/Movements/Schools
Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, Larry Rivers Roy Lichtenstein,
Andy Warhol, Richard Hamilton, David Hockney.
End of marking key
2009 examination report: Art
TRIM: 2010/5903
65