| Unit name | Sculpture and the Body (Level I Lecture Response Unit) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HART20026 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Dent |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History of Art (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
In the long history of sculpture as an art form, the human body has formed its central subject, from prehistoric figurines to Antony Gormley's body casts. Indeed, the ways in which we imagine our own bodies and, above all, our beliefs in a physical ideal have all been shaped by the ability of sculpture to give concrete and durable form to this central element of existence, the experience of embodiment. This course will explore how the sculptural image of the body has been transformed and recreated over time. The ancient Greeks represented gods and heroes in bronze and marble. The Romans took those exemplary bodies and used them to legitimise their political dominance. Christianity imagined another physique, the suffering bodies of Christ and of the saints. These traditions have loaded the body with cultural and political significance, and in the modern world the legacy of these traditions continues to haunt our ability to accept and understand our own bodies, both male and female, as well as to imagine new ones.
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
(1) demonstrate knowledge of the development of sculpture to depict the body;
(2) analyse and draw conclusions about the significance of developments in sculptural images of the body;
(3) select pertinent evidence/data in order to illustrate/demonstrate more general issues and arguments;
(4) identify a particular academic interpretation, evaluate it critically, and form an individual viewpoint.
1 x 2hr informal lecture and 1 x 1hr seminar per week.
1 x essay of 2000 words (50%) [ILOs 1-4]
1 x two-hour exam (50%) [ILOs 1-4]
