Overview
Aims
The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the historical development of visual arts, from prehistoric and ancient art to modern and contemporary artistic practices. It seeks to develop students’ knowledge of major artistic periods, movements, styles, representative artists, and significant works of art, while examining the historical, cultural, social, philosophical, and religious contexts in which they emerged.
The course also aims to develop students’ visual literacy and critical understanding of artistic images through the study of artistic language, composition, iconography, symbolism, and visual representation. Particular attention is given to the relationship between the visual arts, photography, cinematography, and contemporary mass media, as well as to the historical and cultural significance of Christian art and religious imagery.
By combining historical knowledge with visual analysis and critical interpretation, the course seeks to provide students with a solid theoretical foundation for understanding, interpreting, and contextualizing visual images in artistic, cultural, and audiovisual communication.
Course contents
1. Introduction to the History of the Arts
2. Prehistoric Art and Ancient Civilization
3. Early Christian and Byzantine Art
4. Medieval Art in Western Europe
5. Renaissance Art
6. Baroque and Rococo Art
7. Neoclassicism and Romanticism
8. Realism and Impressionism
9. Modern Art: From Post-Impressionism to the Avant-Garde
10. The Invention of Photography and the Transformation of Visual Culture
11. The Origins and Development of Cinema
12. Art after 1945 and Contemporary Art
13.Art, Religion and Cultural Heritage
13. Visual Culture, Media, and Image Interpretation. Practical Analysis of Artworks and Audiovisual Images
Learning outcomes
Upon succesful completion af the course, students will be able to:
Identify and describe the majot periods, movements, styles, artists, and representative works in the history of visual arts, from Antiquity to contemporary art.
Evaluater critically the role of images in communicating cultural values, religious meanings, social ideas, and collective identities.
Use relevant bibliographic and visual resources to document, compare, and present works of art and artistic movements in a clear, structurated, and academically appropriate manner,
Assessment
Oral exam 50%, implication in course debates 50%