Class Interior-Exterior: Poetic Modalities of Post-Modern Criticism

In this optional CU we assume that the philosophical, literary and socio-cultural Post-Modernity has direct effects on the artistic environment of Post-Modernism as an important moment in the Fine Arts. We also believe that the production of the so-called Post-Modernist period is influenced by the poetic textuality of authors who deny (and even rebel against) Modernity. We are interested in the confluence of these themes and the way they oppose lucidity, Enlightenment, Rationalism and Scientism (typical of the Moderns), generating quasi-poetic modalities in this negation and being creators of something new: the post-modernist expressions. The keywords of the UC are: Postmodernity; Postmodernism; postmodernists; Romanticism; Voluntarism; Representationism; Rebellion; Vanguardism; poetic expression; poetry; poetic environment; human interiority; social exteriority; intimate; public; relation poetry & visual arts; the unspeakable in art (in all arts); limits of saying; creativity.

1. Cultural Modernity in the West: the Praise of Reason.

2. Cultural Post-Modernity in the West: the Death of Reason. Contributions from Goethe, Novalis, Holderlin, Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, Rimbaud, Pessoa.

3. The Western mentality and the reception of post-modern canons by artists.

4. From Romanticism to Voluntarism, among other critical tracks: existentialism, structuralism, avant-gardism, nihilism.

5. The mental and neuroscientific taboos at the base of Western creativity: is it a rational conquest or an emotional drift? To pose the question in this way is it still starting from dualism (or body-mind problem)? The healthy permanence of doubts and dilemmas. 

6. Postmodernism and its plural authors: the postmodernist MasterPieces 

7. Authors/Pieces gallery: research and presentation of case studies 

In this optional UC, the teaching and evaluation methodologies fall with balanced weight on the teacher and the student, fostering, above all, the student's capacity for dialogue, critical thinking, exposition of ideas and their defence before the spontaneous argumentation of his audience (in this case: his colleagues and the teacher). After nine lectures given by the teacher, six weeks of Working Group Presentations follow, composed of students freely organised around a common theme. The initial lessons, more reflective and conceptual, always involve a short film, documentary or visual record on the theme of the session. The pretext of this medium is to visually sediment the culture transmitted in class. This is why there are several assessment tools: active participation in the debate, presentation and defence of a topic in class and also a written and reasoned report on this choice (this report may be a visual work). 

BAUMAN, Zygmunt (1998). O Mal-Estar da Pós-Modernidade. Brasil: Jorge Zahar ISBN 9788571104648

BUBER, Martin (2014). Eu e Tu. Lisboa: Paulinas Editora. ISBN 9789896733957

DAMÁSIO, António (2020). Sentir & Saber. Lisboa: Temas e Debates. ISBN: 9789896445409

DAMÁSIO, António (2018) A Estranha Ordem das Coisas. Lisboa: Temas e Debates ISBN: 9789896443344

LIPOVETSKY, Gilles (2016). Da Leveza. Para uma Civilização do Ligeiro. Lisboa: Edições 70 ISBN 9789724418780  

PETERSON, Jordan B. (2018) - Maps of Meaning, Paperback, Taylor & Francis, UK, ISBN 9780415922227 

PESSOA, Fernando (2018) Sobre a Arte Literária. Lisboa: Assírio e Alvim. ISBN 9789723720426

PREZIOSI, Donald (2009) The Art of Art History. UK: Oxford University Press ISBN: 9780199229840

SCHWANITZ, Dietrich (2012). Cultura: tudo o que é preciso saber. Lisboa: Dom Quixote ISBN 9789722050272