History of Art (V350)

Our first year

Becoming acquainted with the main currents of Art History from the middle ages through contemporary art, and choosing options within those periods, you will also improve your writing and oral skills in Art History. At the same time, working with Waddesdon House will allow you to experience first-hand the paintings and decorative arts, and our study of the collections of the Mead Gallery will enable you to explore and interact with contemporary works of art. There are accompanied free Study Trips to museums and galleries in London and Birmingham, as well as visits to historic buildings in Coventry and Warwick.

Our second year: Venice

The Autumn term is spent in Venice, where staff from Warwick teach in our own centre, the Palazzo Pesaro Papafava. Topics such as art and architecture in northern Italy from 1200-1600, and Venice as inspiration for the period from the 18th century to the present day are explored in depth in the city that produced them. Returning to Warwick you will develop your visual and analytical skills through choosing one Long Option and two Short Options in Art History. One Short Option is in Practical Art where you can enhance your artistic skills in our Studio, newly equipped for Print Making. The expertise of the members of our staff will allow you to discover more specific areas in Art History: Castles to Country Houses, Dutch art of the Golden Age, Modernism, the global Baroque, Victorian sculpture, and many others.

Our third year

Spent at Warwick, the third year moves towards specialisation and you choose two Special Subjects. These are Research-derived modules that draw on the special expertise of our staff and take knowledge to new levels. Explore Colonial Art from the 18th century to the present, or discover the ways in which Colour influences our ways of seeing. For people fascinated by buildings, discover how they were built in Deconstructing Buildings, and there are others. Further accompanied free study trips are part of the modules, as in the first year. Our core module on the issues in art history will reveal its diverse approaches as well as fundamental theoretical questions involved in art historical research. All of this culminates in your Dissertation on a topic of your choice, which you start in the second year. At the end of your third year, you will be perfectly equipped for your future career, whatever the field.