Class History of Art and Visual Culture I

This curricular unit (uc) is the first of five units dedicated to the study of art and visual culture, structured in a chronological, sequential logic, which begins with the first known manifestations of human artistic production and ends today. In this UC we focus on art from prehistory to the  middle age. The grounded knowledge of artistic production carried out over time in different cultural contexts, allows students to develop a critical eye and acquire a solid visual culture that will constitute an important basis for their action as artists.

1 – Reflection around the artistic object
1.1. the field of art
1.2. The various interpretations of the work of art
1.3. Critical reflection on the functions of art history and the role of the art
historian.
2 - The genesis of artistic forms: Palaeolithic and Neolithic. Prehistoric art in
Portugal.
3- Art in Agro-Pastoral Societies (ceramics, metals, funerary rituals).
4 - Art and Classical Antiquity
4.1. Aegean, Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean Art;
4.2. Greek Art: Ancient City and Greek State: Polytheism and Creativity;
4.3. Etruscan art;
4.4. Roman art;

4.5. Roman art in Portugal.

5 - Medieval art in Europe
5.1. Art in the High Middle Ages: Paleochristian and Germanic art. Visigothic,,
Islamic and Moçarabe art in Portugal.
5.2. The Year Thousand and Romanesque. A new dynamism in architecture
and sculpture. The castle, the monastery and the church. The Romanesque in
Portuguese territory.
5.3. Gothic: geographic variations and international movements. The Gothic in
Portugal.

Interactive classes, based on a dynamic group relationship. The projection of images of works of art from the artistic periods under study, with a focus on
In the Portuguese case, reading texts and watching short films will be the starting point for joint analysis and debate. With a view to enhancing the
dialog, the various themes are presented in advance.

Continuous assessment will be based on three elements: a project to be carried out throughout the semester 40%), small assignments that will be
requests and presented in class (20%) and one frequency (40%).

ARGAN, Giulio Carlo - Arte e crítica de arte. Lisboa: Editoral Estampa, 1993.
GOMBRICH, Ernst - A História da Arte. Rio de Janeiro: LTC, 2009.
HARRIS, Jonathan -  Art History: The Key Concepts. London: Routledge. 2006.
JANSON, A. F. & JANSON, H. W. (ed.) -  A Nova História da Arte de Janson: a
tradição ocidental. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2010.
PEREIRA, Paulo - Arte portuguesa. História essencial. Lisboa: Temas  e Debates, 2014.

PIMENTEL, António Filipe,  GRUNEWALD, Dietrich,  DEBICKI, Jacek, FAVRE, Jean-François - História da Arte. Pintura, escultura, arquitetura. Coimbra: Minerva, 2010.