Art History

Throughout history, representations of the Apocalypse or "end of the world" have evolved with the times, reflecting the changes occurring in the natural world, societies, politics, and beliefs, as well as our understanding of the world and of our place within. Taken individually, each of these stories or images mirror a society at a specific time but, together, they also illustrate the evolution of our thought-systems, philosophies, moral values, and spiritualities. Today, at a time when global environmental and health concerns are growing, and in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, apocalyptic representations are still permeating many discourses, from the arts to politics and economics, from gender to science, AI and the physical world. Using the exciting perspectives opened by the theory of the Anthropocene, this course presents an overview of some of the original apocalyptic tales, and the work of key artists of Western apocalyptic fiction, art, and architecture.

This course examines the way visual art and culture is used to express identity and its relation to changing notions of creativity and selfhood. The goal of the course is to think critically about the purpose of art: what is it, what does it do, who is it for, how is it made?

Students are introduced to the Medieval art and architecture from 4th to 15th century AD and to an understanding of the principles, the technological developments, and innovations of cultural diversity and assimilation. The lectures examine material histories of objects and works of art of this period, which reflect the varied connections of European Art of the Middle Ages. Themes to be explored include the heritage of the post Classical world of ancient Greece and Rome; identity and diversity in the post Roman world; aspects of continuity and transformation in the arts of the Byzantine world in the east and the development of monasticism and the formation of the Early Medieval Monastery in the west, with reference to the Carolingian and Ottonian period including the specific contribution of Irish monasticism to Medieval art; and the impact of the pilgrimage tradition on art and architecture during the Romanesque and Gothic periods. The course also examines characteristics of the Gothic style as it emerges at the end of the 12th century, and the late medieval period is examined through reflections in urban and secular architectural developments. 

This course examines visual art spanning from the early modern period to the contemporary. It covers a range of art practices situated within a global context, along with art works produced in Māori and Pacific cultures alongside Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, European and American traditions.

This course presents a thematic overview of the global intersections and relationships of Western visual and material culture across a range of historically located examples. Topics are explored in this course under the broad themes of appropriations and the "other" and cultural geographies. Through these lenses students explore topics as diverse as orientalism, photography and colonialism, and globalization and contemporary art, and what they reveal about cultural transmission through the ages.

This course considers objects and places from the medieval world that have accumulated multiple meanings over time. Challenging the narrative of a "clash of civilizations" between Islam and Christianity, it focuses on the entangled histories of art and architecture in the medieval Mediterranean, examining through case studies the mediatory role of art, material culture, and architecture from the 10th to 15th centuries. 

This course examines the history of Daoist art from its pre-Daoist origin to its popularization in Late Imperial period. Students will be introduced to the visual and iconographic features of the Daoist pantheon and the rich material culture associated with Daoist rituals. Emphasis is also placed on considering Daoist art’s cultural and political contexts.