Interpreting Art Short Course

Course overview

In this Interpreting Art Short Short Course we will cover a range of modes and methodologies commonly used to provide meaning and structure to the visual arts. Our access to art has become much easier, but in the age of the Turner Prize our understanding of it seems like an increasingly arduous task. Some ways of interpreting art which we will study include:

• Semiotic (the study of symbols, signs and their interpretation)
• Formalist (purely visual and stylistic analysis)
• Historical (interpretation through context)
• Political (examining power structures implied or present in the work)

Each session works with concrete examples of art taken from across history, where we apply certain methods of interpretation and discuss their applicability. Examples range from groups such as the Surrealists and contemporary conceptual works, all the way back to 19th Century and Renaissance paintings. With this practical element comes a focus on the theoretical foundations of the methods we use, as well as discussions on the issue of interpretation itself.

On this course, there will be occasional visits to galleries; during the weeklong intensive there will be one each day, and every other session for the evening formats.

This course is available both on campus or online.

Who this course is for

This short course is suitable for beginners, undergraduate and foundation arts/philosophy/curating students, journalists and critics, people with backgrounds in other humanities or arts areas, arts professionals or administrators. No prior knowledge needed, though familiarity with art history will enrich experience. This could be studied alongside or complementary to our Modern Art History Short Course.