This course tries to shed some light on a rather neglected aesthetic category in art history: the Ugly. It is only with German philosopher Karl Rosenkranz's "Aesthetics of Ugliness", published in 1853, that the Ugly was systematically treated as a central notion in art.
Based on discourses in German aesthetics, and facing today's more or less pluralistic attitudes towards the question what is beautiful and what is 'ugly' - or deformed, amoral, repulsive - in a work of art, we will discuss historical und present-day opinions about 'inappropriate' representations in art, with a special focus on art works from ca. 1800 to today.
Where appropriate, this discussion will take place during visits to Berlin's art collections (Gemaldegalerie, Nationalgalerie, Hamburger Bahnhof).Contents:- ugliness as an aesthetic category;- theoretical treatises on the Ugly;- artistic representations of ugliness;- aspects of ugliness: the grotesque, the obscene, KitschMethods:- reading of required literature- active discussion of aesthetic notions- student's presentation (description) of an art work
Period
13-07-2012 - 14-07-2012 (1 weeks)
Target group
Advanced students, art historians, artists, art education professionals.
Course aim
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Credits
0.0 ECTS credits---
Course fee
EUR 196: 196 excl. museum entries---
Course leader
Kassandra Nakas. Kassandra Nakas studied art history, archaelogy and psychology in Munich, Vienna and Berlin. PhD 2003 Freie Universitt Berlin. Since 2007 assistant professor at the University of Arts, Institute for art history. For further informatio
Scholarships
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Berlin University of the Arts Berlin Career College
Address: Bundesallee 1-12
Postal code: 10719
City: Berlin
Country: Germany
Website: http://www.udk-berlin.de/sites/content/topics/home/index_eng.html
E-mail: summer-courses@udk-berlin.de
Phone: +49 30 3185 2087
Ugliness in Art History
