Art Theory and Practice in East Asia
- Module Code:
- 15PARH102
- Credits:
- 15
- FHEQ Level:
- 7
- Year of study:
- Final Year
- Taught in:
- Term 1
This module critically explores the multi-polarity of the field of East Asian art history today by investigating the historical methodologies, canons, practices and other forces by which it has been shaped. The module is designed to explore themes centred on East Asian art visual and material culture from premodern to contemporary times.
There is emphasis throughout on understanding current events and initiatives in the field of East Asian art history, including the ways art has been studied, collected, displayed, accessed and communicated through exhibitions, conferences and websites.
The module aims to bring together theoretical perspectives and practical examples so as to enable students to engage critically with the material and to pursue their own lines of enquiry. The module is therefore centred on student-led input in discussions.
Objectives and learning outcomes of the module
LO1) Identify important texts associated with the formation of the discipline and theories of art historical development, aesthetics, and interpretation of East Asian art
LO2) Explain and analyse the debates and methodological issues linked to the study of East Asian Art
LO3) Critically assess methods and theoretical approaches relevant to the study of the arts of East Asia and their diasporas
The learning outcomes for this module are in line with those of the MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia program as a whole with its emphasis on the analysis of visual and material culture from a range of themes and periods and within an understanding of the social, political, religious and cultural contexts for the production and use of art within the region of East Asia.
Workload
- Lectures: 2hrs per week
- Independent study: 130 hrs (over 10 weeks)
Scope and syllabus
Depending on staff availability, the module may cover any, or more, of the following themes linked to the module LOs:
- The canonisation of East Asia Art
- Connoissuership, style and iconography
- Art and its definitions
- Theories of the arts
- Materials and materiality
- Historiography
Method of assessment
- 1,000-word critical literature analysis (worth 30% of marks)
- 2,000-2,300-word essay (worth 60%)
- Logbook entries (worth 10%)
Suggested reading
- Wen Fong, ‘Why Chinese Painting Is History’, Art Bulletin Vol. 85, No. 2 (Jun 2003): 258-280. (online resource)
- Jerome Silbergeld, ‘Chinese Painting Studies in the West: A State of the Field Article’, Journal of Asian Studies Vol.46, No. 4 (1987): 849-97. (online resource)
- Katharine Burnett, ‘A Discourse of Originality in Late Ming Chinese Painting Criticism’, Art History 23.4 (2000): 522-558.(online resource)
- Pierson, Stacey. True or False? Defining the Fake in Chinese Porcelain. l’UMR 5136 (Université Toulouse-Jean Jaurès / CNRS), 2019. (online source)
- Brumann, Christoph., and Rupert A. Cox. Making Japanese Heritage. London: Routledge, 2009.
- Christine Y. Hahn, “Unearthing Origins: The use of art, archaeology, and exhibitions in creating Korean national identity, 1945-1962,” Visual Resources 28, no. 2 (2012): 138-170
- Youngna Kim, “Whither Art History? Korea's Search for a Place in Global Art History,” The Art Bulletin 98, no. 1 (March 2016): 7-13
- Dōshin, Satō, and Sarah Allen. "From "Art and Identity: For Whom, For What?" The "Present" Upon the "Contemporary"." Review of Japanese Culture and Society 26 (2014): 341-61. (online resource)
- Kondo, Ariyuki. "Creativity within a Geographical-National Framework: From Modern Japanese Design to Pevsner’s Art Geography." In Designing Worlds: National Design Histories in an Age of Globalization, edited by Fallan Kjetil and Lees-Maffei Grace, 93-107. NEW YORK; OXFORD: Berghahn Books, 2016. (online)
- Pai, Hyung Il. Heritage Management in Korea and Japan: The Politics of Antiquity and Identity. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 2013. (e-book)