History of Art

University Website: http://www.hoart.cam.ac.uk

Director of Studies: Ms Jane Munro

The History of Art Tripos at

Cambridge provides an introduction to the study of the history and criticism of art and architecture, primarily of Western Europe. The three-year course is designed to provide students with a sound general introduction to the history of art, its theory and methodologies. From the first year, it places particular emphasis on direct contact with, and analysis of, works of art and architecture.
Cambridge is especially well-placed in this respect, with a rich architectural heritage and museums and galleries of international significance.

Part I introduces students to a broad range of different art forms and materials from Antiquity of the present day. This aims to equip students with a solid grounding in an understanding of the making and meaning of works of art, and to hone skills of visual analysis. In addition to lectures, students benefit from the specialist knowledge of librarians, conservators and curators throughout

Cambridge, notably at the Fitzwilliam Museum . Towards the end of the year, students write an extended essay on a work of art in
Cambridge

Part II allows the student to select on a termly basis from a range of Special Subjects covering a variety of different media and art forms from Byzantine to modern times, that reflect the research interests of the Department’s staff. Additionally, in Part IIA students follow a course allowing them to deepen their understanding of critical methodologies adopted in the study of art history, and Part IIB offers a compulsory course that examines the collection and display of art, and the museographic  issues that shape its interpretation and presentation. Students also write a dissertation of their own choice.

The study of the History of Art is an academic discipline; skills in the practice of art are advantageous to the student’s understanding of media and technique, but in no sense essential.  Subjects which it would be useful to study to A-level (or equivalent) are History, English, a foreign language (especially Italian, French and German), as well as Greek and Latin. Previous study of History of Art is not essential, but prospective students will be expected to demonstrate an enthusiasm for, and visual sensitivity to, works of art, as well as a basic understanding of what the subject involves; for this reason, those invited to attend an interview, are generally shown one or more images/works of art and asked to comment.

Lectures and seminars take place in the Department of History of Art, 10 minutes walk from Christ’s, and – in the first year, especially – on site in colleges, chapels, libraries, museums and conservation studios in and around Cambridge. In addition, students’ written work is discussed at weekly supervisions (small groups of 2 to 3 students), and regular term-time meetings are held with the College’s Director of Studies.

At Christ’s, the Director of Studies is Jane Munro, Curator of Paintings, Drawings and Prints at the Fitzwilliam Museum. She specializes in European painting and drawing of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, many involving the relationship between word and image (Literary Circles (2006), Chasing Happiness. Maeterlinck, the BlueBird and England). She has organised numerous exhibitions in Cambridge, Europe, Japan and the United States, most recently Sickert, Sargent and Spencer (2009) and Endless Forms, Charles Darwin, the Natural sciences and the Visual Arts (2009). The latter, co-curated with Professor Diana Donald, was nominated Apollo Magazine’s Exhibition of the Year, and the associated catalogue awarded the William M. B. Berger Prize for British Art History. Jane Munro is Chevalier des Arts et Lettres and Chevalier dans l’Ordre Nationale du Mérite.

For more information on the study of History of Art in Cambridge, see: http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/histart/index.html