School Of Humanities And Communication ArtsHistory and Theory of the Avant-GardeWestern Sydney University Unit Code: 10157.2
Discipline: FINE ARTS
Student Contribution Band: 1
Level: 2
Credit Points: 10
Unit Enrolment Restrictions
Successful completion of 60 credit points at Level 1.
About this Unit
This unit views the avant-garde as a changing set of conditions and concerns. This is illustrated through an examination of major European and North American art movements from Cubism to Abstract Expressionism. Although the unit is organised chronologically, emphasis is placed on the critical analysis of key premises. In particular, the discourse of originality has been central to avant-garde theories, policies and practices. Originality has appeared in diverse forms: as violent rupture, transgressions, or through related organicist metaphors referring not so much to purely formal invention as to sources of life.
Specialisations