- Department: History of Art
- Module co-ordinator: Dr. Richard Johns
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
- See module specification for other years: 2022-23
This module explores the rapid growth and diversification of the printed image in Britain during the long eighteenth century.
Occurrence | Teaching period |
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A | Semester 1 2023-24 |
Some of the eighteenth century’s most enduring and influential works of art were prints: multiple images that were made and circulated in innovative ways, collected, copied and often seen by thousands. Alongside the rise of graphic satire – a term that encompasses some of the most highly charged images in British art – this module examines the growing demand for ambitious prints after the work of living painters and canonical ‘old masters’ – specialists in portraiture, history painting and landscape, whose work found new meanings and reached a wider, international audience in printed form. Our view also extends to encompass the making and marketing of maps (of cities, countries and continents), as well as new kinds of print that brought the world into view in different ways, both microscopic and telescopic.
We explore the dynamic interplay between different forms of visual representation, examining the fluid nature of seemingly stable artistic categories. The module will consider how artists variously exploited the formal characteristics, immediacy and associations of different printmaking techniques (including etching, engraving, mezzotint, aquatint, and the application of colour), to produce a visual culture that continues to challenge conventional distinctions between ‘polite’ and ‘impolite’, ‘high’ and ‘low’ art.
The title of this module refers both to the highly skilled and collaborative process of making prints in the period, and to the latent violence of so many of the images that resulted. A recurring theme of the module will explore the complex relationship between these two fields of inquiry.
By the end of the module, students should have acquired:
a good knowledge of some of the most prominent printmakers in Britain during the long eighteenth century, their techniques and channels of distribution
the ability to articulate and respond critically and creatively to different art-historical approaches to the subject
an awareness of the methodological challenges and opportunities associated with the historical study of reproducible graphic art, especially in relation to the recent historiography of visual culture in Britain
an understanding of key cultural concepts associated with graphic art during the long eighteenth century, including politeness, satire, caricature, connoisseurship and taste
a critical awareness of how the art of the past continues to inspire political and cultural debate
Task | Length | % of module mark |
---|---|---|
Essay/coursework Essay: Intermediate Assignment |
N/A | 100 |
None
Task | Length | % of module mark |
---|---|---|
Essay/coursework Essay: Intermediate Assignment |
N/A | 100 |
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