Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts


Department of Art History

Spring Semester 2021



            Image, Object, Text: Theories and Methods in Art History and Visual Studies


                                      Code: DU1905 Credits: 8


                                           Seminar Tasks



Module Schedule


4^th March

Art history as a "science": observation and the role of theory


18^th March

Canon wars: the objects and values of art history


1^st April

The meanings of ‘style’: formalism and the social history of art

Task: Consider the texts by Greenberg and Crow in the reading list. In what way can we regard
Greenberg as a ‘formalist’ critic?  In what way is the argument of Crow a ‘social’ history of art?


15^th April

Concepts of iconology: from visual lexicon to social memory

Task: Outline the main ideas presented by Aby Warburg in the Introduction to Mnemosyne (uploaded on
the folder for this week). How might they be relevant to the interpretation of Czech art?


29^th April


Horizontal art history and the politics of the periphery

Task: Considering the work of 2 or 3 artists / architects, in what ways is Czech art in the
‘centre’ and in what ways is it on the ‘periphery’ of European / world art?


13^th May


Queering art history

Task: Outline the arguments for and against the idea that Donatello’s David expresses a queer
sensibility.


27^th May

Art history in a global context: decolonizing the discipline?

Task: In what ways is the concept of decolonizing relevant to understanding Czech / Slovak art
history? Identify the work of 2 or 3 artists that we might view in a different way if we view
through the lens of decolonization.