HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY ART
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
General knowledge of European and Extra-
European geography and of European and
Extra-European history of the centuries
mentioned above. It is not compulsory, but the
knowledge of the history of different European
countries literatures will be an important support
to understand many of the topics.
The final examination consists of a verbal test
which includes three questions on wide ranging
topics and on specific ones based on the
bibliography require at n. 6 - see Leganto (i.g. Which artistic
trend is Mark Rothko part of? What is meant by
the saying Nouveau Realisme and what are its
characteristics? Which artistic trend Mexican
Muralism considered a forerunner?). They will
cover the complete program through the time
frame considered. The student will be asked to
emphasize relationships and connections between
different topics delivered during lessons.
The result is expressed with a 30-point scale that
can be divided into failing (0 to 17) and passing
(18 to 30 cum laude) grades. The mark is based
on a general assessment on the answers to the
three questions. They all have the same value. The
final mark will be revised considering the global
knowledge of the student.
The fundamental principles are: the knowledge
acquired, considering the communications skills
required by the Bachelor’s Degree course, the
correct positioning of phenomenon, events and
objects in space and time, the ability in formal
reading (with special care of the historical criteria
and data and not the emotional ones), including a
critical judgment (with references to the
contemporary cultural heritage) and suggestions
of proper comparisons, the communication skill
using the proper language, as suggested during
lessons.
The course of Storia dell’Arte Conteporanea belongs
to the group of humanistic teachings which
characterize the course of studiose of the Second
Cycle Degree of Science and Technical
Communication.
The student will be able to know the outlines of
the Italian, European and International History
of Art from the beginning of the XXth century
to the first decades of the XXIth century, using
special care to focus on the historical Avantgardes
of early XXth century, the Neo avantgardes
of the second half of the XXth century
and the contemporary art tendencies. Main topics
of discussion will be the changes in the
relationships and in the concept itself of art
patronage and those related to the public
perception of art and artists, as well as the origin
and succeed of the dynamics of art market.
Among the learning abilities expected to be
acquired can be pointed out the capability of
visual analysis, especially considering the
opposition between figurativism and the abstract/
informal and conceptual art, the development of
communication skills using the proper language;
the developement of a comparative attitude,
cons idering the cor rect geographical ,
chronological and cultural context. The student
will be able to investigate the art work
(particularly considering the stylistic elements),
connecting it with the geographical and
chronological context, analyzing with precision its
art language, describing it with terminological
precision.
The acquired knowledge can contribute to the
growth of the general skills of synthesis and
processing of data and concepts derived from
different sources.
The course provide for the acquisition of cross
skills, as correct use of language, communicative
competences and developement of comparative
capabilities of judgment.
The following topics will be delivered during lessons:
• Methodological introduction.
• Post Impressionism and the Crisis of the last
decades of the XIXth century.
• Historical Avant-gardes.
• Wiener Sezession, Jugendstil, Art Nouveau, Liberty
(with a special focus on the development of the
phenomenon in Varese), Art Déco.
• Italian art between the two World Wars: from the
Scuola romana to the Arte Concreta Movement
(MAC).
• European and international art between the two
World Wars: Us Precisionism and Realism
movements; German Sachlichkeit.
• Sculpture between the two World Wars.
• Art movements after the Second World War: Art
Brut; Abstract Expressionism, New York School,
Color field painting and Lyric Abstraction; CO.BR.A
group; Nuclear art and Eaismo; Spatialism;
Estroflessione current.
• Junk Art and Dadaism revival.
• English Pop Art and the Italian reception: the
Scuola di Piazza del Popolo.
• Informal art: abstractionism, informalism and
neo-expressionism revival; from Fronte Nuovo delle
Arti to Gruppo degli Otto; material, gestural and sign
informalism.
• Italian Arte Povera movement.
• Conceptual Art: from Neo Dada to Minimal Art.
• French Nouveau Réalisme.
• Italian Kinetic and Programmed Art and
international Optical Art.
• Performance Art, Open-ended Art, Happening,
• Wiener Aktionismus, Art installation, Body Art,
Video Art, Fluxus and Visual Poetry.
• From Land Art to Sustainable art.
• Neo-Expressionism.
• Italian Transavanguardia and “return to painting”.
• From Mexican Muralism to international Graffiti
art: Aerosol Art; Street Art; Graffiti-logo; Graffitiwriting;
Graffiti-design; Culture jamming.
• Italian Analitical painting.
• Hyperrealism and Photorelism.
• Definition of Post-Modern.
• Anachronism; Pittura colta movement;
Hypermanierism; Nuovi-nuovi movement; Magico
Primario movement; Metacosa movement.
• Neo-neoexpressionism: German Neuen Wilden.
• Italian Astrazione Povera.
• French New Geo; Objectualist art; synthetic art.
• Neo-futurism and Neo-pop.
• Young British Artists; Bad Painting; Dumb Art; New
Neurotic Realism.
• The success of Far East contemporary art.
• Contemporary art trends.
The course, in compliance with the present
provisions, will be delivered with frontal lessons
in presence through the Teams platform and with
audio recorded powerpoint files (downloadable
from the e-learning platform), for the total
amount of 64 hours. They will be all conducted
by the tenured professor of the course,
encouraging, as much as possible, interaction
between the lecturer and students. At the end of
each lesson students can ask for clarifications and
further explanations of the topics proposed by
chat or e-mail, according to the type of lesson
delivered.
The listening of lessons is highly recommended
to take advantage of all the interdisciplinary
connections (political history, historic geography,
histor y of literature, etc.) and critical
interpretations of the phenomenon which will be
proposed by the teacher lesson by lesson and
which can not be fully developed in the
handbooks available.
Consultation hours. Using the Teams platform,
and, if it will be allowed, at the professor’s office
(Collegio Cattaneo, Via Jean Henry Dunant, 7
Varese). You have to require a prior appointment
b y s e n d i n g y o u r e - m a i l t o
m.ferrario@uninsubria.it. The appointment
will be fixed within one week.
Before and after lessons it is always possible to
have informal consultations or to require an
appointment with professor Ferrario.