Spanish Art Masters in Madrid Museums

Spanish Art Masters in Madrid Museums
6 ECTS

Note: Students may NOT be enrolled in any advanced-level Spanish courses.

Competences and skills that will be acquired and learning results:
The students will learn how to:
- Analyze an artistic image in its constituent elements and in the frame of the art movement(s) it belongs to.
- Study the evolution of Spanish painting in relationship to its European context.
- Understand the cultural and symbolic values of any painting.
- Use the specific vocabulary of the artworld.
- Express him/herself both orally and in written form.

The course will cover the different artistic movements that have taken place in Spain from the 16th century until under days, and the logic behind the development of styles like Renaissance, Baroque, Romanticism, Cubism or Surrealism, to name just a few.

It will emphasize the specifics of art production in Spain within its European context, as well as aspects of patronage and the art market.

The achievements of leading Spanish artists such as El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Picasso or Dalí will make up the core of the course. They will be analyzed against the important presence in Spain of artists from other areas of Europe, especially Italy and the Netherlands, including Titian, Bosch and Rubens. \

Assessment Criteria
There will be a mid-term and a final exam, museum visits, and an oral presentation during the visit. All work must be handed in, presented or, as in the case of exams, attended on time in order to receive a grade. The total points of the final grade will be distributed as follows:
Participation 25%
Mid-term exam 25%
Group project submission 15%
Group project presentation 10%
Final exam 25%
Total 100 %

Learning activities and methodology:

The course format will be a structured mixture of lectures, discussions, classroom activities and student presentations. Students will learn the necessary contents in class, and will be able to practice their capabilities during field excursions.
Classroom hours will combine an understanding of the global, European and Spanish contexts, together with major art trends of each period. Museum visits will focus on the student's capability to use the artwork exhibited to explain it and its relation with the historical context it was created within.

Basic Bibliography

. From Revolt to Postmodernity (1962/1982). MNCARS. 2011
. From Revolt to Postmodernity (1962/1982). MNCARS. 2011
. Is the War Over? Art in a Divided World (1945/1968). MNCARS. 2010
. Is the War Over? Art in a Divided World (1945/1968). MNCARS. 2010
. The Collection. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. Keys to a Reading (Part 1). La Central/MNCARS. 2010
. The Collection. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. Keys to a Reading (Part 1). La Central/MNCARS. 2010
BROWN, Jonathan. The Golden Age of Painting in Spain. Yale University. 1991
Brown, Jonathan. The Golden Age of Painting in Spain. Yale University Press. 1991
. The Prado Guide. Museo del Prado. 2009
. The Prado Guide. Museo del Prado. 2009
GOMBRICH, Ernst. The Story of Art. Phaidon Press. 1995
GOMBRICH, Ernst. The Story of Art. Phaidon Press. 1995
HARRIS, D.. The Spanish avant-garde. Manchester University Press. 1995
HARRIS, D.. The Spanish avant-garde. Manchester University Press. 1995
jANSON, Anthony F. (et al.). Janson's History of Art. Prentice Hall. 2012
jANSON, Anthony F. (et al.). Janson's History of Art. Prentice Hall. 2012