VART1305 Art and its Histories I and VART1306 Art and its Histories II are required introductory theory courses to be offered in consecutive semesters of Year 1 of the BA (Hons) in Visual Arts-programme of AVA. They will be offered in parallel with the required practice courses VART1005 Visual Arts Practice I and VART1006 Visual Arts Practice II. Together these courses are intended to introduce fundamental practical and theoretical knowledge, skills and work attitude to first-year students to train up their ‘minds’, ‘eyes’ and ‘hands’ for further study in various academic/artistic subject areas within the BA-programme, and to familiarise them with the settings of teaching and learning at the Academy of Visual Arts.

VART1305 Art and its Histories I aims at introducing key developments in the history of art through the analysis of visual and material culture produced under changing socio-political, cultural, scientific and philosophical conditions. Each thematic block of the course will link a comprehensive analytical survey of global canons of creative artefacts with relevant historical and cultural theories, and draw connections with the everyday lives of students. The in-depth analysis of specific works of visual art will broaden the knowledge of creativity and explore issues of multicultural creation, belief, ideology, identity, gender, narrative and reception.

The in-depth examination of the issues of art and culture through detailed analysis of human artefacts will broaden students’ knowledge and understanding of creative practices across cultures, and how they reflect belief systems, ideologies and/or socio-political realities of different areas. These major themes will be explored in blocks of learning, linking art of the recent and distant past and art of the contemporary moment.