AH10270 An Introduction to European Art 2: Late Renaissance to Romanticism

Academic Year 2024/2025

This course provides an introduction to European art and architecture between 1500 and 1850, and acts as a sequel to autumn’s European Art 1 module. It begins with the High Renaissance era of Michelangelo, Raphael and some of the most iconic examples of European art. From the unity and clarity of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the art of the period soon succumbs to a variety of stylistic and critical upheavals, accelerated by the development of Mannerism and a challenge to central-Italian art posed by Venetian painting under the leadership of Titian. The following centuries are characterised by further dramatic political, religious and social upheavals, and the decline of the old European order as a means of paving the way for the modern world. Such volatility also bred forceful creativity, as expressed by the work of Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrandt, Velázquez, Hogarth, Goya and Turner. Many of these artists are ably represented by works on display locally in the National Gallery of Ireland. As a result, through field trips and tutorials, students will be expected to regularly visit the gallery in order to analyse the shifting artistic styles covered by this module; from the Renaissance to the Baroque and the Rococo, from Neoclassicism to Romanticism. We will also cover the architecture and sculpture of the period, and among the areas to be explored are the rise of academies, the impact of the Counter Reformation, gender and art, and the emergence of new pictorial genres.

NB. This module is incompatible with the former level 1 modules AH10120 Art of the Renaissance and AH10140 - The Baroque to Romanticism: European Art, 1600-1850.

Show/hide contentOpenClose All

Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this module, students should demonstrate the ability to do the following:
- regularly and punctually attend classes, engage with their lecturers and tutors, work to set deadlines, and submit original, non-plagiarised work in accordance with the standards expected at university and without recourse to AI tools or non-scholarly web resources.
- be familiar with, and understand, a range of recommended set texts and critical/ theoretical sources relevant to the course, and be able to work under test/ exam conditions without reliance on lecture notes or other learning aids.
- recognise, discuss and explain the main stylistic developments in European art and architecture during the period 1500-1850.
- identify the works of key artists of relevance to the course and their significance within the history of art.
- explain how social, religious and political events impacted on the content and marketing of works of art.

Indicative Module Content:

The course covers the transition from Renaissance to Baroque styles; Art and the Counter Reformation; Art and Allegory; Baroque Architecture; Baroque Sculpture; Court Patronage; the Rise of Academies; Mercantile Art in the Dutch Republic; Portraiture; the Landscape Tradition; Female Artists; the Rise of the Painter-Etcher; Palladian Architecture; Neoclassical Sculpture and Architecture; the Grand Tour; Romanticism.

This module would work particularly well in combination with its sister modules AH10260 European Art 1and AH10160 Art History in the Making (autumn 2024). Together with AH10150 The Modern World (spring 2025), these four courses combine to offer first-year students an overall foundation in the history of Western Art from antiquity to the modern era. See: https://www.ucd.ie/arthistory/study/undergraduateprogrammes/

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Small Group

8
Specified Learning Activities

33
Autonomous Student Learning

35
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures will ordinarily take place twice a week and will be supplemented by weekly tutorials and/ or field trips. Tutorials will focus on issues that arise from lectures and will give students an opportunity to interact with a tutor in a small-group setting. Assessment will be by means of an essay or written assignment and a final end-of-course exam. The latter will assess factual knowledge of art works and buildings as well as wider contextual understanding of the society and conditions that produced them. The School places a lot of emphasis on first-hand contact with works of art and consequently some tutorials will take place in the National Gallery of Ireland, with students also encouraged to visit the collection individually in order to apply what they have learned in class to works of experienced at first hand. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
AH10120 - The Art of Renaissance, AH10140 - The Baroque to Romanticism


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment(Including Essay): A mid-term essay - the deadline for this will be confirmed at the start of the module. n/a Graded No

30
Participation in Learning Activities: This is based on participation in the course’s fortnightly tutorials and other classes and forms of engagement. n/a Graded No

10
Exam (In-person): An end of term 2hr written exam. n/a Graded No

60

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 1 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback will be via essay returned to the students in person or electronically, and by appointment with the course lecturer and / or tutor.