Module Information

This module, designed exclusively for single honours art history students, will provide insights into how art objects are made. It offers a practical introduction to the techniques, materials and tools of the artist’s trade, considering their historical development as well as current usage. Through lectures, demonstrations, practical workshops and analysis of original artworks from the School of Art Museum collection, students will learn to identify and analyse a wide range of artists’ materials and techniques.

Technical and scientific advances – such as research in medicine, optics, chemistry and geometry – led to innovations in the production of art. Artists recognized and exploited the creative possibilities of developments in areas completely independent of art practice: the opening of trade routes with the Far East brought papers for printmaking in Europe; Michelangelo engaged with progresses in the study of anatomy, Leonardo in geometry and optics; high levels of humidity in Venice resulted in artists working on canvas; collapsible metal tubes for oil paint allowed artists to paint outdoors; bright synthetic colours offered new possibilities for the Impressionists; the invention of photography led artists to seek alternative ways of seeing and representing the world; by-products of the petrochemical industry gave us plastic paints like PVA and acrylics; and the onset of the digital age changed the way that art – no longer necessarily a physical object – was made, seen and distributed.

Since the materials used and techniques employed contribute significantly to the appearance of an art object, artists have conceived ideas especially for a process and chosen specific materials to help them realise an artwork. Practical experience and an understanding of the characteristics peculiar to each medium, its limitations and creative potential, offer a certain understanding and insight that is only possible through hands-on experience. This module not only helps the student of art history to appreciate, interpret and engage in informed discussion about an artist’s achievements, it also extends students’ vocabulary and ways of looking at art.

Compared to most UK university art history departments, the School of Art is well placed to offer practice-led workshops in the training of art historians. Our art history students have access to painting studios, print workshops, life drawing classes, darkrooms and the resources of an accredited museum and gallery. Mindful of the career prospects of our graduates, this module offers valuable practical insights and vocational skills for those who seek employment in museums, auction houses, galleries and in arts administration.

1. Introduction [Lecture, 1 hour]
2. Intaglio Printmaking [Lecture, 1 hour]
Preparing and Making an Etching [Workshop, 3 hours]
3. Relief Printmaking [Lecture, 1 hour]
Printing an Etching [Workshop, 3 hours]
4. Ways of Drawing [Lecture, 1 hour]
Making a Woodcut [Workshop, 3 hours]
5. Digital Imaging [Lecture, 1 hour]
Printing a Woodcut [Workshop, 3 hours]
6. The Life Class [Lecture, 1 hour]
Digital Imaging [Workshop, 3 hours]
7. Oil Painting Techniques [Lecture, 1 hour]
Life Drawing [Workshop, 3 hours]
8. Analogue Photography [Lecture, 1 hour]
Painting a Still Life [Workshop, 3 hours]
9. Alternative Ways of Seeing and Making [Lecture, 1 hour]
Printing Photographs [Workshop, 3 hours]
10. Alternative Ways of Seeing and Making [Workshop, 3 hours]