| Unit name | Art and War (Level I Special Field) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HART20027 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Hatchwell |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History of Art (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit argues that war induces a crisis in the work of artists who find themselves caught up in it, whether as soldiers, reporters, civilians or protesters. It traces that sense of crisis from the First World War, across a century of conflict, to the present day. Such a long time period enables us to explore the tradition of war art that has unfolded over the past 100 years. It takes an unconventional route through the 20th century, bypassing the usual narrative of 'modern movements', and constructing its own, alternative canon. It raises difficult questions about death, mutilation, violence and bereavement, and how they should be represented. And it uncovers some difficult material; difficult because it is distressing to look at, but also difficult because it may seem too easy on the eye. War art can be disturbing because its subject-matter is inherently ugly, but perhaps one of the most disruptive things about it, is that its treatment of that subject can also be beautiful. Themes for discussion may include: war photography, dystopian landscapes, peace protest, memorials, and satire. Artists may include Paul Nash, Otto Dix, Vanessa Bell, Don McCullin, Robert Capa, Pablo Picasso, and Nancy Spero, amongst others.
Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1 x 2hr seminars and 1 x 1hr workshop weekly
One 3000-word summative essay (75%) [ILOs 1-4]
One one-hour exam (25%) [ILOs 1-2]
Brandon, Laura, Art and War (London: I.B. Tauris, 2007)
Brockington, Grace, Above the Battlefield: British Modernism and the Peace Movement, 1900-1918 (New Haven, Conn.; London: Yale University Press, 2010)
Bruckner, DJR, Seymour Chwast and Steven Heller, Art against War: 400 years of protest in art (NT: Abbeville Press, 1984)
Sivan, Emmanuel and Jay Winter (eds), War and remembrance in the twentieth century (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).
Sontag, Susan, Regarding the pain of others (London: Penguin Books, 2004)
Stallabrass, Julian, Memory of Fire: Images of war and the war of images (Photoworks, 2013)
