ART2224 - TRV - Irish Art

(VCI) Visual & Creative Inquiry

This course examines the history of Irish art from its prehistoric roots to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the "golden age of Irish art during the Medieval Period, the influence of English art during the Protestant Ascendancy, and efforts by Irish artists to create works of art related to national identity beginning in the late 18th century and continuing through to the present. The subject of Irish national identity will be central to this course, specifically as it was supported by Irish arts organizations with strong ties to Irish political, religious, and social groups. The course also considers the Irish diaspora, the result of the Great Hunger in the 19th-century and economic distress in Ireland until the "Celtic Tiger" reversed emigration trends, and more specifically related to artists, an effort by artists to contribute to art movements dominating the art world but not supported in Ireland. The course includes travel to Ireland during spring break. Travel component required.