00951 - History of Contemporary Art

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will:

- develop the critical and historical tools of contemporary art;

- know how to analyse and contextualize the main artistic currents;

- be able to critically evaluate the works of art of the 19th and 20th centuries;

- develop the basic skills for carrying out independent research.

Course contents

The course of History of Contemporary Art consists of two modules: Module 1 (Prof. Roberto Pinto) and Module 2 (Prof. Francesco Spampinato). It is an integrated course of 12 CFU (6 CFU + 6 CFU) whose final verification follows the procedures laid down for an integrated exam, which means that students must take both parts of the exam together.

Module 1 (Prof. Roberto Pinto)

Specifically, Module 1 aims to address the main currents and the most representative artists who have brought about the most significant changes in art from the second half of the nineteenth century until the Second World War. More specifically, the following topics will be discussed:

1) Courbet and realism around the mid-nineteenth century

2) Manet and Impressionism

3) The artistic scene at the end of the nineteenth century

4) Historical avant-gardes

5) The artistic situation between the two World Wars

Module 2 (Prof. Francesco Spampinato)

Specifically, Module 2 takes into account movements and tendencies emerged from the 1940s to today. In the attempt to offer an overview as much complete as possible, in each of the 15 lectures will be discussed the main artistic practices of one or two decades, as delineated in the following schedule:

1) 1940s–1950s – Informalism, Expressionisms and Abstraction

2) 1950s–1960s – Situationism, Assemblage, Happening and Pop Art

3) 1960s–1970s – Minimalism, Arte Povera and Conceptual Art

4) 1960s–1970s – Land Art, Fluxus and Institutional Critique

5) 1970s – Performance, Feminist Art and Video Art

6) 1980s – Postmodernism: The Pictures Generation

7) 1980s – Postmodernism: Pastiche, Neo-Expressionism and Neo Geo

8) 1980s – Punk, Graffiti Art and Other Subcultures

9) 1990s – Post Human, Abject Art and YBA’s

10) 1990s – Postcolonialism and globalization

11) 1990s – Relational Aesthetics, Installations the Artist as a Medium

12) 1990s–2000s – Painting, Photography After Photoshop and Cinematic Art

13) 2000s–2010s – Identity Politics, Public Art and Art Collectives

14) 2000s–2010s – Unmonumental, Dispersion and Stock Photography

15) 2010s – Digital Technologies, Internet and Artificial Intelligence

Readings/Bibliography

The bibliography is the same for both attending and non-attending students.

Bibliography Module 1

On the 19^thcentury: R. Rosenblum - H. W. Janson, Art of the nineteenth century, Palombi, 1986 (part III and IV). In particular, of Part Three: pages 207 to 284; and of Part Four: pages 307 to 399.

On the 20^thcentury: H. Foster - R. Krauss - Y.A. Bois - B. Buchloh, D. Joselit, Art from 1900, Modernism, Antimodernism and Postmodernism, Zanichelli, 2017 (previous editions are also permitted).

At the beginning of the lectures, the PDFs with the images projected during the lectures will be available online, along with alternative bibliographic paths and suggestions for in-depth studies.

Although for a better understanding of the historical period it would be appropriate to deal with the entire book Art from 1900, it is advisable to read carefully the methodological texts that introduce the volume and, in particular, to study the chapters marked by the years:

1900 b, 1903, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916 a; from p. 69 to 153.
1917 a; pp. 160-165.
1918, 1919, 1920; pp. 172-191.
1921b, 1922, 1923, 1924; pp. 198-219.
1926, 1927a, 1927b; pp. 244-255.
1930b, 1931 a, 1931 b; pp. 287-302.
1935, pp. 319-323.
1937 a; pp. 329-333.
1937 c; pp. 338-345.
1942 a, 1942 b; pp. 348-357.

N.B.:

The chapters are the same for the three different Italian editions of the book, while the page numbers correspond to the third edition of 2017.

Bibliography Module 2

The reference book is:

Hal Foster, Rosalind Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois, Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, David Joselit, Art Since 1900. Modernism. Antimodernism. Postmodernism, Zanichelli, Bologna 2017 (all the editions are allowed).

In order to pass the final exam, it is required the study of some chapters of the above book and a selection of texts of different origin, which will be made available as PDFs on the platform “insegnamenti online”.

The student is required to read the texts before each class with reference to the following schedule and making sure to verify and download the PDFs from “insegnamenti online”:

1) 1946; 1949; 1960 b.

2) 1956; 1957 a; 1960 c; 1961.

3) 1962 c; 1967 b; 1968 b.

4) 1962 a; 1967 a; 1971.

5) 1966 b; 1973; 1975.

6) 1977; 1980; reading available on “insegnamenti online” (D. Crimp).

7) 1984 b; 1986; reading available on “insegnamenti online” (H. Foster).

8) readings available on “insegnamenti online” (G. Marcus, F. Alinovi, A. Licht and J. Koether).

9) 1994 a; readings available on “insegnamenti online” (J. Deitch, A. Searle).

10) 1989; 1993 c; reading available on “insegnamenti online” (R. Pinto).

11) 2003; 2009 c; reading available on “insegnamenti online” (N. Bourriaud).

12) 1998; 2001; reading available on “insegnamenti online” (G. Bruno).

13) 2009 a; 2010 b; reading available on “insegnamenti online” (C. Bishop).

14) 2007 b; 2009 b; reading available on “insegnamenti online” (J. Kelsey).

15) readings available on “insegnamenti online” (J. Fontcuberta, H. Steyerl, F. Spampinato).

N.B.:

The chapters of the book Art Since 1900 are the same for all the editions.

Teaching methods

Lectures with projection of audiovisual material, iconographic interpretation of images, analysis of works of art and of writings by artists and contemporary art scholars.

Assessment methods

The final examination consists of a first written part (a single test for Modules 1 and 2) and a second oral part, which can be taken only if the student has passed the written part. The oral part includes questions on both Module 1 (with Prof. Pinto) and Module 2 (with Prof. Spampinato).

The written part is based on the recognition of some works of art projected in class (or featured in the texts assigned as bibliography) along with questions on the work itself. The PDFs of the slides projected in class are available on the platform “insegnamenti online” (http://iol.unibo.it). On the same platform will be available a facsimile of the written exam. The time available is 45/60 minutes. Students who have passed the written part are expected to take the second oral part (both on Modules 1 and 2), which usually takes place on the same day of the written part. During the interview, the students shall demonstrate their skills in analyzing works of art and artistic movements.

It will be assessed as excellent the performance of those students achieving an organic vision of the course contents, the use of a proper specific language, originality of reflection and familiarity with the analysis tools of contemporary art. It will be assessed as discrete the performance of those students showing mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the topics, disarticulated synthesis and analysis capabilities, or a correct but not always appropriate language, as well as an elementary interpretation of contemporary art. It will be assessed as barely sufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, lack of knowledge of the instruments of analysis of contemporary art. It will be assessed as insufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended bibliography and inability to analyze contemporary art.

Teaching tools

As already reported in the bibliography, the PDFs with the slides showed in class will be available online. In addition, further relevant materials relating to the course contents may be added.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Pinto

See the website of Francesco Maria Spampinato