Art History: Technical Art History, Making & Meaning MLitt
Testimonies On Artists' Practice: Documentary And Visual Sources HISTART5077
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Culture and Creative Arts
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
- Typically Offered: Semester 1
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
The aim of this course is to present students with historical documentary and visual testimonies on the artistic practice from Early Italian Painting to contemporary practice. A historiographic review of the key primary art technological texts on artists' techniques will be the main focus of the course. The developments of the methodology of technological source research, which dates back to the 18th century, and recent new approaches, using reconstructions and scientific analyses, will be discussed.
Timetable
Lecture/seminars: 2.5 hours weekly for 10 weeks
1 Workshop in Special Collections: 2 hours
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ Essay 4,000 words - 80%
■ Presentation 15 minutes - 20%
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ There is no alternative to the essay, but a flexible deadline can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)
■ Recorded presentation, PPT with notes or 1-to-1 presentation with staff member as an alternative to the presentation
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.
Course Aims
This course aims to:
■ Provide detailed knowledge of key documentary and visual sources, on artists' techniques and materials across a wide historical range.
■ Provide a theoretical and historical context for interpreting such sources.
■ Provide students with the methodology to study such sources, as well as the tools to arrive at a correct interpretation.
■ Critically address the ways in which traditional notions of artists' practice can be evaluated through primary source material.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
■ Apply the studied methodology and interpretative skills to primary art technological sources.
■ Interpret knowledgeably and contextualise a broad range of source material on techniques and materials across the full historical spectrum covered by the course.
■ Apply knowledge of historical source material to the examination of artworks.
■ Apply this knowledge to art historical research by combining various strands of research