- An undergraduate course
in
Arts and Humanities.
Art of the twentieth century
- On this page
Fundamental changes took place in the concepts and practices of art during the twentieth century. This course introduces you to different types of art – ranging from traditional media such as painting and sculpture to video art, photography, installation and performance art – and to a variety of critical and theoretical interpretations. Central topics include the relation of the modernist mainstream to new ‘postmodernist’ standpoints; the status of the art object; the role of gender and identity; and the place of a predominantly European tradition in an increasingly globalised culture. The course discusses artists from Picasso to Warhol, and movements from Surrealism to Conceptual Art.
Modules at Level 3 assume that you are suitably prepared for study at this level. If you want to take a single module to satisfy your career development needs or pursue particular interests, you don’t need to start at Level 1 but you do need to have adequately prepared yourself for OU study in some other way. Check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service to make sure that you are sufficiently prepared.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | AA318 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 5 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
Register for the course
What you will study
Current interest in modern art is at an all-time high. This course offers you the opportunity to study the important recent changes in the practice of art and to gain an insight into the critical debates through which these changes have been interpreted and understood. The course addresses such topics as the meaning of abstract art, the challenge of photography, the role of the ‘avant garde’, the canonisation and ‘crisis’ of Modernism, the emergence of ‘postmodernism’, and the phenomenon of ‘globalisation’. The course is structured around four co-published books, each with an accompanying study handbook.
Book 1, Frameworks for Modern Art introduces and explores a range of contemporary issues and debates about art and its place in the wider culture today. The opening chapter discusses key concepts such as modernity, modernism, autonomy, spectatorship and globalisation. It is followed by four case studies, each of which is devoted to a specific work of art chosen from across the span of the century: Marcel Duchamp’s Bottlerack, Barnett Newman’s Eve, Ana Mendieta’s Silueta series, and Yarla by the Australian Aboriginal Yuendumu community. These works have been selected not only for their intrinsic interest, but for the way in which they open up wider questions of meaning and interpretation that are central to understanding twentieth-century art.
Book 2, Art of the Avant-Gardes discusses the development of modern art in the first third of the twentieth century. The book opens with a brief introduction to some of the key themes of art in the period and summarises the political context in which it developed: the First World War, the Russian Revolution and the subsequent consolidation of the European dictatorships.
The book consists of four parts. The first looks at the centrally important idea of ‘expression’ in art, and related questions of Orientalism and the ‘primitive’. The second part concentrates on Cubism, and the third goes on to investigate the development of abstract art. The final part discusses the radical avant-garde movements committed to overcoming the barrier between ‘art’ and ‘life’: Dada, Soviet Constructivism and Surrealism.
Book 3, Varieties of Modernism addresses works of art produced in Europe and America between the 1930s and the 1960s.
Again, the book is divided into four parts. The first part covers aspects of the European avant-garde from the 1930s to the aftermath of the Second World War. It includes discussion of Surrealism, abstract art, debates around the Popular Front, and the conflicting views of art on display in the 1937 World’s Fair.
The following two parts consider the important topic of ‘modernism’. The first focuses on the emergence of Abstract Expressionism, including the discourse of masculinity that permeated the American avant-garde of the period. The next part looks at the ‘autonomous’ high modernism of the early to mid-1960s, contemporary photography and Minimal Art.
The fourth part discusses aspects of the neo-avant-garde that emerged after the Second World War– in opposition to the autonomy of modernism – in the so-called ‘gap between art and life’. It discusses the work of Rauschenberg, Warhol and the Fluxus artists, among others.
Book 4, Themes in Contemporary Art covers the period from the 1960s to the end of the twentieth century, broadly speaking, that is, the period of ‘postmodernism’. It begins with an introductory overview of the emergence in the 1960s of what has been called an ‘expanded field’ for art activity, leading to the fully-fledged ‘postmodernism’ of the late twentieth century. This is followed by a sequence of three essays on the impact of Conceptual Art. The first is an essay on the consequences of Conceptual Art for the notion of the aesthetic that had been so central to artistic modernism. The second is an essay on the Post-Conceptual practice of painting, while the third discusses various practices of Post-Conceptual photography. There then follow three essays on different aspects of contemporary art: a wide-ranging essay on the emergence of various practices of installation, performance and video art; an essay on a range of practices by women artists and finally an essay on the ‘globalisation’ of art at the end of the twentieth century.
There is also a dedicated course reader, Art of the Twentieth Century, edited by Jason Gaiger and Paul Wood which consists principally of writings by art historians and art theorists, originally published as free-standing essays or chapters in books. It gives students access to a wide range of different authorial voices and perspectives on art beyond those explored in the four books. There is a further set book of documentary source material, Art in Theory, 1900–2000, edited by Charles Harrison and Paul Wood.
The course contains fully integrated audio-visual materials, consisting of ten 30-minute DVDs, two resource DVD compilations and an audio CD in which book editors informally discuss some of the main issues addressed in the course books.
AA318 is designed to enable you to recognise and address issues raised by the study of twentieth-century art. In terms of knowledge and understanding, it is hoped that study of the course should enable you to:
- have a knowledge of modern art in the twentieth century, embracing key movements, artists and works of art
- understand the benefits of interpreting works of art within their wider historical contexts
- understand that art history is a critical discipline producing knowledge through scholarly and reflexive debate
- understand a range of relevant critical concepts (e.g. ‘modernism’, ‘realism’, ‘avant-garde’, ‘postmodernism’, amongst others)
- appreciate that in the study of art, disagreement is rarely settled by factual ‘testing’, but commonly involves questions of interpretation, emphasis and interest.
Associated residential school course
You may also be interested in The art history residential school (AXR272). This course develops the Open University art history curriculum, providing a balanced mix of classroom-based learning and first-hand experience of artworks. A key strength of AXR272 is the emphasis on looking at actual works of art and the excellent opportunity to take part in guided visits to prominent London galleries and museums: the National Gallery; Tate Modern; and the British Museum.
The course covers topics ranging from the art of the Renaissance to contemporary art and ‘non-western’ art and artefacts. The themes of the residential-school complement and support existing art history courses without repeating their content.
AXR272 is worth 15 credits and requires you to complete an assessed, but ungraded, preparatory assignment; take part in an assessed (but once again, ungraded) group project presentation at the residential school; and complete an end-of-module assignment (EMA), to build on your learning at residential school.
The school will be hosted at Queen Mary College, University of London, at the Mile End campus and provides an all-inclusive package, including accommodation, meals and pre-booked coach travel for gallery and museum visits.
Entry
AA318 is a Level 3 course. Level 3 courses build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from previous studies at Levels 1 and 2. They are intended only for students who have recent experience of higher education in a related subject.
You are not expected to have any particular knowledge of modern art or art history – although some experience would obviously be helpful – but it is important to have skills such as analytical thinking and writing of an appropriate standard.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
Any means of familiarising yourself with the art of the period will stand you in good stead. In particular, try to spend some time in an art gallery with a reasonable range of art works from the twentieth century. You might also want to look at the set books, although you are not expected to read them at this stage.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
One of the aims of the course is to enable you to make critical comparisons between the works of art and texts related to them. Transcripts of the DVDs and audio CDs can be provided. One of the learning outcomes for this course is for students to develop their ability to exercise powers of visual discrimination by direct engagement with works of art. Blind and severely partially sighted students will experience difficulty in achieving this learning outcome. However, students who have a background in art history gained whilst usefully sighted will be able to draw upon this experience. Reproductions of works of art will be available in electronic format. Students will be able to magnify these reproductions within the limits of standard computer applications, but no textual descriptions or alternative formats of reproductions will be available and the use of a sighted assistant to interpret the works of art would conflict with the required learning outcome. Blind and partially sighted students are encouraged to contact the Student Registration & Enquiry Service for advice before registering for this course. The study materials are available on CD-ROM in Adobe (PDF) format. This can be used with a screen reader or large print can be produced. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and musical notation and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.
You can also find information about accessible study materials, the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
If you have concerns about taking this course or the support that you would have, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service or the Disability Resources Team for advice.
Study materials
What's included
Books, other printed materials, DVDs, audio CDs, website.
You will need
Colour television, CD player; DVD player.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course which includes online activities. You can only access these using a web browser with Flash and Java.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2006 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
- If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
- If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.5 or later.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Materials to buy
Set books
- Harrison, Charles Art in Theory 1900-2000, Blackwell £24.99 - ISBN 9780631227083
- Gaiger, J M & Wood, P (eds) Art of the Twentieth Century: A Reader, Yale University Press £12.95 - ISBN 9780300101447
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
There is an end-of-module assessment (EMA) in the form of a 3500-word project, submitted on paper. In addition there is an end-of-module assessment plan that must be submitted online using the eTMA system.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2012. We expect it to be available once a year.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
Student Reviews
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Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | AA318 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 5 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
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