History and Theory of Sculpture

Code:

THES201

Acronym:

THE

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Fine Arts

Instance: 2015/2016 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Fine Arts Department
Course/CS Responsible:	Fine Arts

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
AP	2	Official Study Plan 2011	4	-	3	34	81

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Sculpture’s theory and history aims at the epistemologically and ontologically study of sculpture’s sphere, from the last years of the 19th centurty to nowadays, promoting the student’s aquisition of the works’ of art analisis’ grammar, and so privileging the approach to the means, to the operative processes, to the intervenings and the inherent languages.

Through the phenomena of the authors and works that played central roles in the various events of the referred period, this subject promotes a clarified vision on the paradigmatic changes which happened in this context, helping in the comprehension of the artistic thought.

The students should acquire and/or consolidate the concepts inherent to the questions that characterize sculpture in modern period and also in the post-modern period, namely concepts of space, shape, proportions, harmony, balance, rythm, volume, mass and void, that assumed, along these periods, very distinct shapes and expressions.

It’s a fundamental objective of Sculpture’s theory and history to exercise the permanent confrontation between what the student is given to know through the theory of the historians, the critics or the work’s authers themselves, and what he sees in a strictly sensitive relation with his cultural education.

Learning outcomes and competences

As final result, the subject encourages the developing of investigation methods, of organization and management of acquired knowledge, so that the student develops a set of tools capable of contributing to the consolidation of his individual artistic project’s operativity.

Working method

Presencial

Program

The approach to the modern and contemporary, or post-modern if we want, sculpture periods, compasses a diversified and rich path, never before experimented in this disciplinary area.
From the last years of the 19th century until nowadays, sculpture saw its action field mutated, expanding beyond what used to be its essence up to the point when it was confounded with other disciplines as architecture, going from corporeal art to spacial art.
The consequence of these deep transformations shows, in the presently artistic practices, specially in sculpture, its expression, be it in the diversity of approaches, be it for the ontoligical questions that characterize them.

Contents synthesis

1. Antecedents, permanence and vanguard in 20th century’s sculpture
2. Form, functionality and antropomorfism
3. Monumentality, commemoration and new approaches
4. Metamorphosis
5. Objects, architecture and minimalism
6. Public art coo superação o monumento
7. Land Art, Earthworks and the Sculpture in the Expanded Field
7.1. Place
7.2. Site and Nonsite
7.3. Site specific
8. From concept to space
9. Sculpture as an architecture’s metaphor
10. The consumated post-modernity

Mandatory literature

MADERUELO, J. (Dir.) ; La Ideia de Espacio en la Arquitetura y el Arte Contemporáneo 1960-1989.., Madrid: AKAL, 2009. ISBN: ISBN 978-84-460-1261-0

Teaching methods and learning activities

The contents will be presented with resource to images, PowerPoint presentations, films and/or documentaries, written documents, possible invited authors and visits to specific sculpture pieces or art exhibitions of particular interest for the themes taught in this subject’s classes.

These contents will be approached essentially from authors whose total work, or a specific piece in that work’s context, shows spatial/especial relevance in context. se manifesta de espacial relevância no contexto em causa.

The reflexive analysis of studied matters will occur through debate.

Theoretical essays are to be written from the study of the debadet themes.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	30,00
Trabalho escrito	70,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance attainment

Attendance attainment is made through continuous assessment which presuposes high class attendance rate and active participation, investigation and knowledge autonomy and also through a personal and autonomous view of studied matters.
For the attainment of attendance in articulation with continuous assessment, the presentation of the classes’ Notebook with written comments and research made on each class matter and the elaboration of an essay developing one or more contents of the syllabus, that is to be presented in class through Power Point presentation and/or other resources that verify pertinent, is mandatory.
Furthermore, a consultation test of critical analysis on the developed matters is to be made.

Calculation formula of final grade

Continuous assessment 30%
Expansion essay writen and respective Power Point presentation  70%

Observations

Remaining bibliography with be put available in analogical means, at beggining of classes.
Further particularly pertinent bibliography will be put available.