History of Art is the combined study of art, culture, sociology, history, philosophy, politics, religion and the human response to the world around us. The art that we focus on in the Themes paper takes us from 200 BCE to the modern day and across such diverse regions and cultures as India, Japan, Mexico, the USA and Cambodia as well as taking a deep dive into European art focused on the UK, France, Italy and Spain.
An essential Humanities subject, History of Art combines a multitude of disciplines and teaches essential skills of detailed analysis and critical thinking and judgement. This is a purely essay based subject and there is no practical art element.
There is no coursework for History of Art, and assessment is 100% exam based. There are two papers: Paper 1: Visual Analysis and Themes and Paper 2: Periods. The themes studied for Paper 1 are Nature and Identity, and include artworks such as Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave off Kanagawa’, George Stubbs’ ‘Whistlejacket’ and Marc Quinn’s frozen head sculpture, ‘Self’.
The Periods looked at in depth for Paper 2 are The Baroque in Catholic Europe (1597-1685) and The British and French Avant Garde (1848-1899). Works include those by the French Post- Impressionists, Caravaggio, Velázquez and members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
As this is a subject only taught at A-level, there is no prior knowledge required, just a passion for art, culture and history.
