After this course, students will be able to:
- explain what taste is, and articulate in what way culture determines taste, in order to properly assess statements regarding aesthetics, the beautiful, and the vulgar;
- clarify the role of ugliness in contemporary art, and thereby problematize in a productive manner the presupposition that art needs to be beautiful;
- create a multimedia essay in order to illustrate and problematize a topic from the course. The student will be able to critically reflect on the form and content of the mulitmedia essay in a written evaluation of the process.
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Ugliness and art are complex and multi-faceted phenomena. Even though these concepts seem to be each other’s polar opposites, in reality they are often closely related. In contemporary culture, in particular, art is not automatically equated with beauty. This course is dedicated to discussing theories of taste, as well as the role of the vulgar (from kitsch to pornography) in art and culture. Each week, we will address a topic in the form of a lecture (hoorcollege) and a seminar (werkcollege). During the lecture classes, the instructor will explain theories related to the topic and discuss case studies in the form of an interactive lecture. The seminars will offer the opportunity to reflect on and discuss the same topic within the framework of group presentations. |
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