96403 - Phenomenology of Contemporary Art. Fundamentals (1) (A-L)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the student: knows the fundamental categories and practices of contemporary art, both in terms of technical-linguistic and theoretical aspects; understands the role assumed by the visual arts in the transition between the 19th and 21st centuries, in their specific development and relation to the parallel trends of other artistic disciplines; is able to understand the contribution made by contemporary art to the development of visual culture with particular attention to technological, media, and social issues.

Course contents

The course aims to introduce students to the main characteristics and fundamental theoretical nodes of contemporary art, with particular attention to:

• definition/de-definition of artistry in the 20th century
• the role of the author and the production of the artwork
• the contribution of technology to contemporary art
• contaminations between visual arts and other disciplines in the 20th century.

These themes will be discussed by considering the role of photography in the development of contemporary art between the 19th and 20th centuries. Indeed, photography has been – and continues to be – an extraordinary opportunity to redefine artistic phenomenology, radically raising the issues of the role of the artist, the technique of execution, the relationship with reality and the decisive presence of technology. Above all, photography has been able to portray with great effectiveness the opposing manifestations of art in the 20th century: the painting and the ready-made, the object and the performance.

Readings/Bibliography

Non-attending students won't be required to have any different preparation from the attending ones.

Bibliography:

F. Muzzarelli, L'invenzione del fotografico. Storia e idee della fotografia dell'Ottocento, Einaudi, 2014. Chap. I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; XIII; XVII; XVIII; XX; XXIII; XXIV.

C. Marra, Fotografia e pittura nel Novecento (e oltre), Bruno Mondadori, Milano 2012.

Teaching methods

Lectures with Power Point support materials.

Assessment methods

The exam will be conducted in written form using multiple-choice computerized test (each question will envisage 4 suggested answers, among which the students will choose the correct one).The exam consists of 15 questions divided amongst all the chapters of the course books. Each correct answer corresponds to 2 mark. There is no penalty for wrong answers. The time available for the test is 12 minutes. The test result will be visible immediately after the end of the test. The test consists of historical questions related to the main points of the material illustrated in the texts (ex. "In which year was x movement founded?"). Then there may be various questions of "understanding the text," which are, for example, reports of excerpts from the books of the program, which ask for the meaning (ex.: "Which statement can be correctly derived from the following excerpt?"). Significant space is also given to poetic declarations and critical reflections in the texts for which the author's recognition is required (ex. "Who is the author of the following statement?").

Teaching tools

Power Point

Office hours

See the website of Claudio Marra