Content

 

Schedule

Module 2 constitutes the second pillar of the course regarding introduction to research. Based on the structure of the classes and their specific content, this module —organised in four seminars— aims to introduce new or original perspectives on the research of a set of topics (used as case studies) with a long trajectory and diverse nature, both conceptually and in terms of space and time.

Seminar 1. Japonisme.The fascination with Japanese art in Catalonia in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Lecturer: Ricard Bru Turull

The four sessions will analyze in depth the phenomenon of Japonisme in Catalonia, presenting the methods and results of both local and international research. Starting from a global perspective, the sessions will provide an understanding of how a topic of international research can become a fruitful field of study from a local perspective, with transnational implications.

1. Japonisme in Europe. Introduction to the global phenomenon of the attraction, influence, and inspiration of Japanese art from the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

2. Japonisme in Catalonia (1868-1888). The attraction and impact of Japanese art in Catalonia until the Universal Exposition of 1888, from Fortuny to Riquer. 

3. Japonisme in Catalonia (1889-1915). Japonisme in the era of modernisme, from Ramon Casas to Lluís Domènech i Montaner.

4. Japonisme in Catalonia (1915-1975). An approach to the fascination with Japanese art and culture from noucentisme to the second avant-garde movements, from Francesc Galí to Joan Miró.

 

Seminar 2: Antiquae Feminae: From Research to Digital Heritage Product

Lecturer: Montserrat Claveria

1. The ages of women represented and their messages in Classical Antiquity
2. The reception of the Antiquae Feminae in the modern era: iconography and contexts
3. Antiquae Feminae: Integrating perspectives, leading approaches
4. From the research on Antiquae Feminae to their dissemination in contemporary society

This seminar aims to explore the representation of women in the sculpture of Classical Antiquity and analyse their reception and reinterpretation over time up to the digital present. Throughout the sessions, the emphasis is placed on the process from academic research to the creation of digital heritage products, aiming to facilitate the dissemination of the classical legacy in contemporary society.
The seminar is structured around four main areas. First, it explores the different ages of women represented in Classical sculpture, along with their associated cultural and symbolic messages. It also addresses the reception of these female representations in the context of antiquarian collecting during the modern period. Next, it presents the Antiquae Feminae project, which promotes an integrative perspective and leadership in new approaches to analysis and dissemination. Finally, it reflects on how academic research can be transformed into digital products that allow for effective and appealing outreach to today’s audiences.

• Supervision sessions for the Master's Thesis project
Lecturer: Montserrat Claveria

 

Seminar 3: The arts of the Modern period in Catalonia (ff. Fifteenth Century-mid-Nineteenth Century). Research, work methodologies and dissemination strategies.

Lecturer: Francesc Miralpeix Vilamala

The history of Modern Art in Catalonia, traditionally referenced in the stylistic currents of Renaissance and Baroque art, covers more than three centuries of artistic creation. Traditionally criticised and undervalued by the historiographical tradition and bythe cultural and political imaginary of the country since the beginning of the nineteenth century and seriously affected by the different episodes of destruction and plunder, modern art claims in the twenty-first century a quality space in the discourse of the arts in Catalonia and in the Catalan Museum system. So much so that the newly created Renaissance Museum and Baroque Museum are firmly committed to the visibility of some artists and assets that make up one of the most fertile periods of artistic practice in Catalonia, essential to understand the conformation of phenomena linked to current material and immaterial culture such as the festival, the cuisine, the celebrations or the landscape. The aim of this seminar is to analyse the most unique features of the plastic arts and movable heritage of the period and, at the same time, to offer working and analytical tools that allow parallel paths to be opened such as the study and understanding of destruction, safeguarding, collecting or dissemination based on quality tools and content.

1. Presentation. The heritage of the modern era from a bird's eye view. The predominant artistic genres. Artisans or artists?

2. Historiography. From the academic attack to the romantic gaze.  National identity and art.   The Noucentisme imaginary. Destruction and plundering.

3. Tools for study and analysis (visit to the MNAC reserves and the Amatller Institute of Hispanic Art/Mas Archive)

4. Enhancement. Museums, exhibitions and ICT tools. Research veins.

 

Seminar 4. The arts and design from an interdisciplinary and intersectional perspective

Professor: Sílvia Rosés Castellsaguer

Art historiography has traditionally focused on the triad considered hegemonic: painting, sculpture and architecture. This classification responds to an academic desire to simplify and organize the past, but often reduces cultural complexity and underestimates othercreative practices such as those linked to craftsmanship or design. These disciplines, despite their constant presence in everyday life and in the shaping of material culture, have often been relegated for reasons of aesthetic or symbolic hierarchy.

The proposed seminar aims to expand the traditional boundaries of art history and give space to practices that have been undervalued until now, taking fashion design as a central axis and connecting it with other creative disciplines such as object design, jewelry, comics or audiovisuals. The aim is to show how these apparently separate fields actually maintain close dialogues and constant interdependencies.

In addition, the seminar is committed to a structure that breaks with the usual chronological narrative and incorporates an intersectional perspective. This perspective allows us to analyze how the axis of gender, class, race or sexuality intersect in cultural production and reception, providing a more critical and contemporary understanding of artistic and design practices.

The guiding thread of the seminar will be a curatorial project in which students will have to rethink the permanent exhibition of a museum, updating it from an interdisciplinary and intersectional point of view. In order to offer tools for the development of this project, each session will combine a master class focused on a thematic axis with spaces for reflection and practical application in relation to different creative fields.

1. Arts and design under the perspectives of gender and sexuality.

2. Arts and design under the evolution of social class hierarchies.

3. Arts and design under the prisms of religious beliefs and racialization.

4. Presentation of curatorial projects.