72179 - Forms and Functions of Contemporary Art

Learning outcomes

After completing the course the student possesses the hermeneutic tools that enable them to understand contemporary artistic phenomena from a phenomenological approach. In particular, the Student will become familiar with concepts that run through much of contemporary art, such as: the notions of abstraction, biomorphism, mechanomorphism and electromorphism, which are particularly important in a vision of artistic phenomena that takes into account the great technological changes; the concepts of ready-made, reproduction and citation, installation, performance, art as behavior and not only as an object; photography and its character of trace or sampling of worldly reality; the "pendular oscillations" of taste and the cyclical character of artistic making. It will be good to learn to use critically pairs of categorical values of great help to understand the phenomenology of contemporary art, such as, for example, the "synthesis" in its various aspects, figurative and not, the "hot" and the "cold", or the "closed" and the "open", the "tactile" and the "optical" or again, "primary" and "secondary", etc..

Course contents

The course this year aims to address certain aspects of European contemporary artistic research from the second half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. Within this time frame, the main artistic currents and individual personalities that marked their time will be analyzed through the analysis not only of their most important works, but also of the historical-cultural context in which they took shape. In particular, we will follow a critical historical path aimed at detecting the change and evolution of artistic research that, starting from the latest manifestations of naturalism (Impressionism), will lead to a synthetic art (Divisionism, Symbolism), to neo-primitivist tendencies (Expressionism), up to the assertion of the ‘abstract-concrete’ currents linked to the experiences of the first historical Avant-gardes (Cubism, Futurism, Neoplasticism).

Readings/Bibliography

The program is the same for all, attending and non-attending students

 

Two obligatory books:

- BARILLI, Renato, Scienza della cultura e fenomenologia degli stili, Bononia University Press, Bologna, 2007 (English text: BARILLI, Renato, The Science of Culture and the Phenomenology of Styles, MacGill-Queen's University Press, 2012)

- BARILLI, Renato, L’arte contemporanea. Da Cézanne alle ultime tendenze, Feltrinelli, Milano, edition 2005 or following (chapters 1-9)

 

in addition, a text chosen from among the following books:

- SCHAPIRO, Meyer, L’Impressionismo. Riflessi e percezioni, Einaudi, Torino, 2008.

- AURIER, Gabriel Albert, Scritti d’arte 1889 - 1892 (a cura di E. Baldini, G. Virelli, G.L. Tusini), Mimesis, Milano 2019

- BARILLI, Renato, Il Simbolismo, in Collana L’arte moderna, Fabbri, Milano 1967 (download on "Risorse didattiche su virtuale").

- VIRELLI, Giuseppe, Aubrey Beardsley. L’enfant terrible dell’Art Nouveau, Minerva, Bologna, 2018

- BORGOGELLI, Alessandra et al., Aspetti del primitivismo in Italia, Collana Artype, Dipartimento delle Arti, Bologna, 2015 (download on "Risorse didattiche su virtuale").

- BENZI, Fabio, Il Futurismo, Motta, Milano,2008 (download on "Risorse didattiche su virtuale").

Teaching methods

The method used involves the active partecipation of the students who are invited to speak during the lessons with observations. All this makes the lessons a chance to exchange views and debate.

Assessment methods

The test will consist of an oral examination in which the candidate will demonstrate that they have assimilated the content of the lesson, both in terms of fundamentals and in terms of references. Will be evaluated, as well as the degree of preparation, properties of language, knowledge of the authors which reference is made, the ability to build a speech critically aware. Training gaps, imprecise language, only rote learning will be evaluated negatively.

1. Those students who show developed analytical skills of selected readings and their correct contextualization within a complete vision of the issues discussed during lectures will be given a mark of excellence. Mastering of field-specific language and good expression during the examination will also be required (A =28-30 con lode).

2. Those students who show mnemonic knowledge of the subject and a superficial analysis of selected readings, as well as a correct but not always appropriate mastering of the field-specific language will be given a satisfactory mark (B = 25-27 and C = 23-24).

3. Those students who will show vague knowledge and superficial understanding of selected readings, limited analytical skills and a not always appropriate expression will be given a ‘pass’ mark roughly (D = 18-22).

4. Those students who show gaps in their knowledge and lack of familiarity with selected readings will not be given a ‘pass’ mark (E).

Teaching tools

Various audiovisual aids (audio files, image projections and digital movies).Through the platform “virtuale.unibo.it”, students will be provided with images and lecture-based presentations and other educational materials.

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Virelli