| Unit name | Art and Memory (Level H Lecture Response Unit) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HART30041 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Dent |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History of Art (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Images are a way of remembering that which is no longer present. Amongst the many myths about the origins of art, several of the most moving involve the making of an effigy to act as a substitute for an absent lover. Through works of art, the fickle and ephemeral images in our memories can be given permanent presence in the external world. Conversely, the process of forgetting often involves the physical destruction of images in order to enable the erasure of a memory that we no longer wish to recall. But the relationship between art and memory goes deeper than this. From the ancient world onwards, the skill of remembering itself has been constructed around the sophisticated creation of mental images. Not only do these artificial techniques permit great feats of memory, they also underpin the creative recombination of knowledge. This in turn has shaped the history of the image itself. This course will trace some of the significant steps in the relationship between art and memory and will reflect on the ongoing role that visual culture in all its forms continues to play in memorialisation in the modern world.
On successful completion of this unit students will have developed: (1) a sophisticated understanding of the relationship between art and memory; (2) the ability to analyse and generalise about the significance of art / visual culture to the act of remembering and memorialisation; (3) the ability to select pertinent evidence/data in order to illustrate/demonstrate more general issues and arguments; (4) the ability to identify a particular academic interpretation, evaluate it critically, and form an individual viewpoint.
1 x 2-hour interactive lecture per week.
One summative coursework essay of 3000 words (50%) and one unseen examination of two hours (50%). Both elements will assess ILOs 1-4.
F. Yates, The Art of Memory, London, 1966
M. Carruthers, The Book of Memory: A Study of Memory in Medieval Culture, 2nd ed., Cambridge, 2008
H. Weinrich, Lethe: The Art and Critique of Forgetting, Ithaca, 2004
M. Bettini, The Portrait of the Lover, trans. Laura Gibbs, Berkeley, 1999
R. Bevan, The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War, London, 2006
