107-443 Futurism and Fascist Art in Italy

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth-year honours in art history.

This subject introduces students to the principal artists and art movements in Italy from the beginning of Futurism in 1909 to the end of fascism in 1943. Students will engage with a variety of artistic strategies for transforming the relationship between art and the broader social sphere. The subject begins with the Futurists' violent polemic against traditional art and their various attempts to connect art and everyday life through painting, sculpture, music, fashion and the decorative arts around the time of WWI. Students will examine the connections between the futurist movement and the emergence of fascism in the early 1920s. The relationship between fascism and culture more generally will be analysed through the response of artists and architects to Mussolini's regime from the 1920s through to the 1940s. Fascist propaganda and political spectacle will be considered alongside the work of Italian artists and architects who subscribed to fascist ideology. On completion of the subject students should have an understanding of selected artists and movements in Italy between 1909 and 1943 and be able to apply a range of art historical approaches to the study of art in relationship to its political context.

• be able to research through the competent use of the library and other information sources, and be able to define areas of inquiry and methods of research in the preparation of essays;

• be able to conceptualise theoretical problems, form judgements and arguments and communicate critically, creatively and theoretically through essay writing, tutorial discussion and presentations;

• be able to communicate knowledge in an intelligent and economical way through essay writing and tutorial discussion;

• be able to manage and organise workloads for recommended reading, essays, assignments and examination revision;

• be able to participate in team work through involvement in syndicate groups and group discussions.

A 1500 word paper (based on in-class presentation) and a 3500 word research essay.

A subject reader will be available.