University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 30

ECTS credits : 15

Level : SCQF level 10

Semester: 1

Availability restrictions: Not automatically available to General Degree students

Planned timetable: 3.00p pm - 5.00 pm Mon (lecture) and either 9.00 am or 10.00 am Tues

Between the late 1840s and early twentieth century, French artists jettisoned tradition and re-invented the art of painting. This course focuses on the first two epochs in this complex evolution: Realism and Impressionism. The first half takes as its subject the works of Gustave Courbet and Édouard Manet, two pioneers of the avant-garde who were also bound in telling respects to the ambitions of French academic painting. We will attend to the complex nature of Realism as a social movement and a mode of vision. The second half studies Impressionism by examining the types of places, spaces, and persons represented by Impressionist painters like Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Claude Monet, and Gustave Caillebotte. We will consider the social, political, and technological developments that accompanied and influenced artistic practice. In particular, we shall evaluate the notion of ‘modernity’, both as a historical phenomenon and as a construct within avant-garde practice.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): Before taking this module you must pass AH2001 and pass AH2002

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 1 x 2-hour lecture (x 10 weeks); 1 x 1-hour seminar (x 10 weeks)

Scheduled learning hours: 30

Guided independent study hours: 280

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: Coursework = 100% (including Time-Restricted Written Assessment = 30%)

As defined by QAA
Written examinations : 0%
Practical examinations : 0%
Coursework: 100%

Re-assessment: Coursework = 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr M T Knowles
Module teaching staff: Dr M Knowles