History of Art

The study of art history offers students the opportunity to understand visual objects in all areas of the discipline of art history (architecture, sculpture, painting, applied art, and visual culture) in their various historical and contemporary forms, styles, and functions.

The doctoral degree study programme in the theory and history of art consists of the scholarly preparation of highly educated specialists who are involved in basic and theoretical research in the humanist discipline of art history.

The subject of art history concerns itself with knowledge, analysis and a historical understanding of works of art. It studies artistic formation, styles, and functions, and later critical reception. It examines the creators themselves: artists and patrons, the art movements, and “the operations of art history” (gallery institutions, monument care, and art criticism). On the most general spectrum of interest, art history currently provides a general historical study of images and hermeneutics of visual images.

The primary focus of the art theory and art history study programme is to first and foremost prepare and defend a dissertation which explores new and as yet unexplored themes in research into art history or possibly examines existing themes with a new and original approach. The conclusions of the dissertation should contribute to contemporary research discussions in the field of art history and the work should have an essential impact on further research and practice in this subject.

Doctoral studies at the art history seminar are closely linked with the research interests of the Institute and with the research projects of its scholarly employees. The main areas at present for the research projects are: 1) Early Christian, Byzantine and Early Medieval art, 2) Late Medieval and Renaissance art in Central Europe, 3) Baroque architecture, sculpture art and painting in Bohemia and Moravia, 4) Brno as a centre for the history and theory of Modern architecture, 5) Modern and contemporary art in connection with visual cultures in current society, and 6) Collecting, patronage and art-history museum studies.

Potential students of the doctoral programme will be first and foremost those who have successfully completed a Master’s degree in art history and who are qualified for further work in the field or already have certain experience in specialized institutions. The doctoral degree study programme require the development of certain skills and abilities, in particular a knowledge of foreign languages, a widened knowledge in the area of scientific methodology and the methodology of the given field, and additional practical experience within the framework of the research specialization.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• understand the relation of the research theme to analysing the research problem and to analyse this connection in relation to the actual research specialization
• to get up relationship between research topic and research attutude in relation to students own dissertation project
• use and critically evaluate art history sources (visual, documentary, and textual), creating hypotheses and testing their relevance when dealing with research problems
• adopt contemporary methodology and interpretative approaches in art history, especially regarding a students own projct of PhD thesis
• publish both scholarly and popular texts
• design demanding exhibition projects
• prepare university semester lectures and seminars, and communicate their experience in teaching students on the Bachelor’s and Master’s level
• work within research teams and support research projects in transdisciplinary cooperation with other scholarly disciplines

Graduates of the doctoral programme in the field of art theory and art history can work as scholarly employees in research, university, and museum institutions.

They are prepared for work in teams for research and teaching. They can become specialized and scholarly assistants at the university level, obtain positions as curators in museums and galleries and as specialized employees in museums, galleries, and monument care, and find employment anywhere that requires a high level of art history specialization.

Now, when visual culture and the understanding of it play increasingly important roles in society, graduates from the doctoral programme can also make use of their skills and abilities in a range of additional research and teaching professions, as well as in marketing and on the media market.

The adopting of practical skills represent a natural part of a PhD student formation. The can acquire these skills thanks to research stays abroad, participation in teaching or research tasks of the department. The attending the conference may represent another formo of such experience of stay abroad. The study or research stay abroad should last at least one month.

The PhD thesis represents the key and central result of doctoral study. The thesis has to deal with original topic or it can apply new views on some known or familiar topic. The results of the thesis has to reflect contemporary methodological discourse of the art history and it should have to some extent an impact on the discipline. The thesis has to consist of 200 000 characters and it has to be accompanied with adequate documentation or illustrations. The character of the thesis should lead to publication – at least as a paper or monograph.