Module Information

This module augments and complements the current choice of Part 1 Art History modules and offers a new area of study within the School of Art. As well as giving single honours Art History students more choice, it offers a historical context for the significant number of students who opt for painting and life studies. There are required reading and video screenings to supplement lectures and prepare for essay assignments. It is envisaged that the course syllabus may partly be directed towards items in the School of Art's prints and drawings collections which are rich in post-war art, allowing for a number of different modes of study and learning, including an opportunity to examine original works in the Collection.

The post-war period in British art was a time of flux and rapid change when styles from Europe in the form of Tachisme and the Ecole de Paris mixed with influences from America such as Abstract Expressionism. It was also a time of political uncertainty - the height of the Cold War, when Britain lived with the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation. But a much-heralded New Elizabeth age brought optimism too, and a young Queen ruled during a transitional period of decolonization that brought Commonwealth artists in their hundreds to live and work in Britain. This module introduces students to the rich mix that was the British art world in the 1950s - a time when 'artists worked without safety nets'. From Kitchen Sink to the London School and British Pop, what emerges is the distinctiveness of so much British art, a style that eventually became a very saleable 'brand' in the Swinging Sixties.