Renaissance art reconsidered
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This is not simply another course on Renaissance art. It questions the traditional geographical and social boundaries of this subject – one of the most traditional in the art history discipline – in line with contemporary developments in academic research. Instead of focusing on the Italian peninsula and Florence in particular (as has been the tendency for most histories of Renaissance art c.1420-1520), this course ventures to England, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Crete. It includes art forms such as prints, tapestries, manuscripts, painting, sculpture and architecture, centred around three main themes: Making Renaissance Art;Locating Renaissance Art; and Viewing Renaissance Art.
Fees 2012
See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.
Course facts
An undergraduate course in Arts and Humanities.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | AA315 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: |
|---|
| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) |
| End-of-module assessment |
| No residential school |
Register for the course
This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.
What you will study
The course is presented through three course books, a DVD-ROM and three DVDs. Each course book has its own distinct focus on the how, where and who of Renaissance art. The DVD-ROM is linked particularly to Book 1 through its analysis of how works of art in the Renaissance were actually made. The three DVDs include films that complement and amplify the themes and issues covered in all the course books. Each DVD contains new filming commissioned by the OU, film from other providers, and archival film.
Book 1, Making Renaissance Art, includes seven essays on the production of art. The essays are designed to encourage your direct engagement with drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture and print-making. Through the examination of works of art made in Italy and countries north of the Alps, Book 1 addresses practical issues of art production. It also discusses themes long associated with the Renaissance such as change and continuity; the relative balance of theory and practice; the revival of interest in antique art and architecture; and the imitation of nature. Essays deal specifically with drawing and its role in workshop training and design; mathematical perspective – its significance and alternatives; sculpture north and south of the Alps; the practice and theory of architecture; Gothic and Renaissance altarpieces; and the production of prints. The last chapter of the book examines the proliferation of artistic treatises and biographical writings about Renaissance artists.
Book 2, Locating Renaissance Art, departs radically from the traditional view of Florence as the origin and centre of the Renaissance, though the city serves as a foil for some of the case studies. All the essays extend the geographical boundaries of Renaissance art. Topics include studies of Florentine artists working in their home city and in Rome; the export of Netherlandish painting; the international trade in tapestries; Siena as a Renaissance artistic centre; a study of the post-Byzantine Cretan painter Angelos; Venice and its relationship with its trading partners; and the peripatetic career of the architect Bramante.
Book 3, Viewing Renaissance Art, deals with the consumption of Renaissance works of art. This volume focuses on the values, priorities and motives of patrons and the purposes and functions of artworks. The seven essays consider very different kinds of patrons and consumers: from individuals to secular and religious institutions. The essays also consider a variety of themes such as conspicuous consumption and self-fashioning. Studies of a wide range of social patronage are included, together with chapters specifically on manuscript production; French art; the market for Cretan icons; art associated with the rituals and beliefs connected with death; and Holbein and the Reformation.
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 would require 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 then complete an end-of-module assignment (EMA), which is designed 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.
You will learn
You will learn about the art-historical period traditionally known as the Renaissance (c.1420–c.1520) and develop a systematic and critical knowledge and understanding of some key aspects of Renaissance art within and beyond the confines of Italy. You will obtain an awareness of current thinking and developments in relation to some key issues of the study of Renaissance art. In line with contemporary art-historical study, you will also broaden your knowledge of the discipline to include media not traditionally classed as fine art: illuminated manuscripts, tapestries and prints.
The project (independent essay) that completes the course will enable you to reassess the period through an in-depth study of a self-chosen topic relating to the themes of the course. You do not need to have a topic in mind before you start the course. You will receive help and advice on choosing a topic at various stages of the course.
Through the use of video and ICT you will learn how to analyse and interpret works of art (architecture, sculpture, painting, etc.) in their immediate physical context. You will also explore complex works of three-dimensional art (architecture, sculpture, cities) that cannot be properly represented within the limits of a few illustrations.
Vocational relevance
The course has no specific vocational relevance, but could form a valuable part of an art-historical training that encourages the development of critical analysis and visual discrimination. You will also be expected to write a long essay that demonstrates your ability to find and organise material and communicate your research and conclusions effectively.
Entry
This is a Level 3 course and as such it builds on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from previous studies at Levels 1 and 2. Level 3 courses are intended only for students who have recent experience of higher education in a related subject and have already acquired the skills appropriate for this level, such as analytical thinking and essay writing.
You are not expected to have any particular knowledge of Renaissance art, but some experience of studying art history at undergraduate level would be very advantageous. If you have no such experience we advise you to study a Level 2 art history course, Exploring art and visual culture (A226), before embarking on this Level 3 course.
If you would like more information about this course visit the AA315 website.
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 Renaissance art works. You might also want to look at the set books, although you are not expected to have read them before you start the course. For those who would like to do some preliminary reading on the art of northern Europe we also recommend Jeffrey Chipps Smith, The Northern Renaissance, Phaidon, 2004, which was a set book until the publication of Nash. You are not required to purchase this book, however.
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 sight impaired students will therefore experience difficulty in achieving this learning outcome. However, students who have a background in art history gained whilst usefully sighted may 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 their regional office for advice before registering for this course.
The study materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). 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. The books are available in a comb-bound format. 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, financial support and 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.
Study materials
What's included
Course books, other printed materials, a DVD-ROM, DVD-Videos, audio CDs, website.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running Windows using Boot Camp or similar dual-boot system.
Materials to buy
Set books
- Welch, Evelyn S. Art in Renaissance Italy, 1350-1500, Oxford University Press £12.99 - ISBN 9780192842794
- Richardson, C M, Woods, K W & Franklin, M W (eds) Renaissance Art Reconsidered: An Anthology of Primary Sources, Blackwell £23.99 - ISBN 9781405146418
- Dunkerton, Jill Giotto to Durer, Yale University Press £25.00 - ISBN 9780300050820
- Nash, S Northern Renaissance Art, Oxford University Press £14.99 - ISBN 9780192842695
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.
The end-of-module assessment (EMA) is a project that must be submitted on paper.
You will be assessed on all three course book topics by means of a multi-part tutor-marked assignment (TMA). Each TMA is double weighted, i.e. the equivalent of two conventional TMAs. In addition to these three TMAs, you will be required to submit a project proposal, and an end-of-module assessment project that will be the examinable component. For the end-of-module assessment project (the independent essay), you’ll need to have first hand access to at least one work of art of your own choice that is central or closely relevant to your independent essay subject. This work need not be in an art gallery; it could be in a stately home, a church or cathedral, or a building in your local area.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2012. We expect it to be available once a year.
Fees 2012
See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.
Course facts
An undergraduate course in Arts and Humanities.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | AA315 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: |
|---|
| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) |
| End-of-module assessment |
| No residential school |
Study explained
- Financial support
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- Study explained
- - all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.
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On the whole this is a lovely course. The study guides are richly illustrated and very well written. Another bonus ...
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This course must be one of the best devised by the Art History department. Based on three themes - the ...
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