Demonstrate subject-based knowledge and understanding
It was particularly interesting in this part to be able to explore more fully areas of work outside painting and sculpture. Whilst not a fan of post-war/brutalist architecture, having lived in a brutalist estate it made interesting reading to understand the rationale and intentions of the architects. With regard to the art of the period, there were some fascinating artists to explore although the different movements (and ‘isms’) were at times confusing and sometimes apparently conflicting. As such distinctions seem often to be imposed retrospectively by critics (and not always acknowledged by the artist in question) I am not certain how helpful they are.
Demonstration of research skills
For the 2000 word essay there was a huge volume of work to explore and it was at times difficult to narrow down the focus to the area I was interested in. I am a little concerned that as I chose a very new artist in Aleah Chapin, written work about her is necessarily limited. However, I hope that in the research I have been able to cross-reference/infer and draw valid comparisons from older texts whilst at the same time using current interviews, reviews and critiques of her work to contrast with the more formal texts.
Demonstration of critical and evaluation skills
I had intended to select two works for the 500-word analysis. In the end, there was so much that could have been said of my chosen piece (Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation) I decided to take a deeper look at just that project, referencing what would have been some of my alternative choices briefly in the ‘influences’ section.
Communication
For the 2000-word piece I did have a good idea what I wanted to focus on quite early into the module and I received some excellent advice from the tutor. I hope that I have acted on her advice as I did endeavour to narrow down my focus, taking a deeper look at the topic rather than adopt a more ‘overview’ approach.
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