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From Decorative Arts to Material Culture (V4005)

30 credits, Level 6

Spring teaching

On this module, you'll examine the traditional separation of the arts into ‘fine’ and ‘decorative’ categories and its impact on scholarly approaches.

You'll explore how recent methodologies from material culture studies have revived interest in objects previously dismissed as applied art, uncovering overlooked aspects of their original contexts and functions.

Key themes include:

• historical conceptions of the relationship between different art forms
• methods used by art historians to study art objects
• the influence of these categorizations on museum displays.

You'll develop critical insights into how art forms are studied, understood and presented, challenging traditional classifications and encouraging broader perspectives.