• Semester 1 (Day)

Synopsis

There  has  been  a tendency among today's theorists  to  move  beyond
structuralist and formalist approaches to adopt a broader view  within
a  social,  cultural and anthropological setting. Such  a  perspective
guides  much  of  the  critical thinking which  informs  the  cultural
theories   shaping  contemporary  visual  arts  practice.  This   unit
addresses  the philosophy traditions which impact on the visual  arts.
Contemporary American and European perspectives provide the base  from
which  issues  are  addressed. Helenistic theories of  art  provide  a
foundation  through  the theories of the Pythagorean  School  and  the
Eleatic  School. Following from this, selected writings  by  theorists
reflecting  positions within Humanism, Romanticism, the Enlightenment,
Marxism,  as  well  as  modernist and contemporary  thought,  will  be
introduced.