Admission requirements
See Teaching and Examination Regulations.
Description
Visual art making in the Western tradition has often drawn inspiration from art works of other traditions around the globe. The most notable cases concern early twentieth-century European avant-garde artists, such as Picasso, Matisse and Nolde, who turned to the art forms of so-called primitive or tribal cultures to stimulate their work. Western artistic engagements with these art forms led to the coining of the term Primitivism, which is nowadays contested for being Eurocentric and discriminating. But Western artists before and after the European avant-gardes have also been inspired by art from outside the European tradition, including the works of cultures that at the time were equally considered to represent a more primitive state of development (including ancient Egypt and Japan).
In this seminar we will critically read classic texts on the phenomenon of Primitivism, including writings by Robert Goldwater, Colin Rhodes, Ernst Gombrich, William Rubin and Jean-Hubert Martin. Students are required to write a paper that discusses one or another aspect of Primitivism, ranging from theoretical considerations to case studies, from ancient times until the present.
Course objectives
Students learn to:
critically analyze the most influential twentieth-century literature on Primitivism from a present-day perspective;
work with a pluralist and dynamic concept of art;
understand and theorize the process of interculturality;
apply a conceptual framework of World Art Studies and its theories and approaches;
reflect on various approaches;
work with a chosen framework with regard to carry out the analysis of a chosen artwork.
Timetable
Please consult the timetable on the MA Arts and Culture website.
Mode of instruction
Research seminar. Interactive discussion and knowlegde dissemination forms (supervisor Dr. L. Bertens).
Attendance is compulsory. Students are allowed to miss a maximum of two seminars.
Assessment method
Paper (70%)
Presentations (30%)
Blackboard
In this course we will make use of Blackboard.
Reading list
Will be announced at the beginning of the seminar.
Registration
Students are required to register for this course via uSis, the course registration system of Leiden University. General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch.
Exchange and Study Abroad students: Please see the website Study in Leiden for information on how to apply/register for this course.
Students who are not in the MA Arts and Culture programme, but who would like to take this course as an optional course, please contact Mrs. Joëlle Koning MA the co-ordinator of studies.
Contact information
Prof. dr. W.J.L.M. van Damme
Prof. dr. C..J.M. Zijlmans
Dr. L.M.F. Bertens
Remarks
As a compulsory course for the Leiden MA specialisation Art of the Contemporary World and World Art Studies this course focuses on art as a global phenomenon and aims at understanding the hugely important processes of interculturality with regard to modern and contemporary art. Together with the MA course on Art, Design, Science and Ethics, which has a focus on philosophical theories and aesthetics with regard to contemporary art and science, this course gives the MA specialisation Art of the Contemporary World its engaged Leiden profile.