On this course, you will examine aspects of the history of vision and visual regimes in the Western and Eastern world, from Antiquity to the present day, analysing visual technologies from the linear perspective to the Ferris Wheel, as well as the beholders that these technologies presuppose and produce. Canon formation is one of the main themes of the course, and you will investigate how this value structure pertains to the history of art and visual culture, using the perspectives of societal, racial and gender politics. You will learn to make relevant comparisons between historically determined perceptions of artistic value and beauty and to evaluate aesthetic judgements in relation to cultural fields. The course also studies the history of art museums and exhibitions, how material objects are exposed and how the public makes sense of what they perceive. You will relate visual expressions to the literature of art theory and, vice versa, illustrate theoretical ideas through art objects, and discuss and criticise different aesthetic and art-historical perspectives, both orally and in writing. Finally, a special theme is that of conceptual art practices; this is used to link together various elements of the course.

Course design

The course consists of lectures, seminars and one field trip, and is assessed through hand-in assignments, oral presentations and a written take-home exam.