National University of Singapore

UAR2299A: Painting And National Identity

Proserpine Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) Coloured chalks on paper Signed and dated 1880; inscribed "Proserpina" and with the artist's sonnet in Italian. 47 x 22 inches, 119.5 x 56 centimetres Afar away the light that brings cold cheer Unto this wall, - one instant and no more Admitted at my distant palace-door Afar the flowers of Enna from this drear Dire fruit, which, tasted once, must thrall me here. Afar those skies from this Tartarean grey That chills me: and afar how far away, The nights that shall become the days that were. Afar from mine own self I seem, and wing Strange ways in thought, and listenfor a sign: And still some heart unto some soul doth pine,O, Whose sounds mine inner sense in fain to bring, Continually together murmuring) -- 'Woe me for thee, unhappy Proserpine'. -- D. G. Rossetti   See commentary below Details Provenance and exhibitions

Lee Yock Suan tells me that MITA is developing a vision for Singapore to be a renaissance city. Artistic creativity is an important element of a knowledge-based economy. He will get more funds to promote the arts

PM Goh Chok Tong, National Day Rally Speech, 22 Aug 1999

Combining the study of painting and art-writing (criticism and art-related literature), "Painting and National Identity" is a cross-disciplinary module that teaches visual literacy. It introduces fundamental concepts and terms of art history (4 Conceptual Areas of Study), through a series of 4 Case Studies of specific figures in the British and Singaporean art worlds.

The main purpose of the module is to give you a grounding in the fields of art history and aesthetics, by examining how national artistic identities have been formed, evaluated and questioned by painters, critics, and other strategic individuals and institutions in the art world, in Britain and Singapore-from 1769 to the present day. However the range and focus of the course are widened beyond these 2 countries' visual cultures, by the presentations you give on works from around the world

The 4 Conceptual Areas of Study are:
1. Ideas of National Artistic Identity
2. Art-Historical Classifications: artistic "styles", "movements" and "periods"
3. Aesthetics: Painting's Unique Properties?
4. The Role of Owners, Institutions, Critics

(Details of these 4 Conceptual Areas of Study are given below)

Subjects of the 4 Case Studies include: the successful portraitist, Sir Joshua Reynolds, President of Britain's Royal Academy, and formulator of the "neo-Classical" blueprint for the nation's artistic development; the radical, Romantic poet-painter, William Blake; the Victorian artists and writers of Britain's most influential art movement, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and its foremost art critic, John Ruskin; the Nanyang Artists of the 1950s (Singaporean art's Golden Age?) and; the institutional role of Singapore Art Museum.

Goals/Objectives

By the end of this module you should be able to answer these 2 questions:

To answer these questions you should feel confident that they can assess works of art in terms of the 4 Conceptual Areas of Study listed above. However you should also be in a position to critique each of these categories, and the terms used within them, because I shall highlight controversies and limitations in each area. EG Labeling artistic "styles" or "movements" may oversimplify (and even falsify) our understanding of paintings and artists, as well as clarifying it. Consequently, by the end of the module you should be happy to:

1. Think inside these 4 Conceptual "boxes"
2. Question the configuration of each box, and feel free to expand or reshape it
3. Think in a boundaryless way by connecting the 4 boxes in any number of permutations
4. Think outside the boxes-and the framework/s of the module-altogether! EG Beyond "national art"?

Ultimately therefore, I would hope that you will leave this course with a clear-and critical-sense of art historical developments and issues in Britain and Singapore for the last 250 years, feeling confident that they can contribute independently and constructively to the ongoing debate about questions of national (and multicultural) artistic identities both in, and beyond, Singapore.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is compulsory. In the case of illness or emergency please contact me with the appropriate certification. As a courtesy if you know you will be absent before a class, please notify me.

3 unexplained absences-or 2 consecutive absences-will negatively affect your grade. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to make up any missed work and to keep up with the reading.

All papers are due on the dates set. Late papers are not accepted, unless prior arrangements have been made, or in very exceptional circumstances. Please talk to me before the assignment is due if you know you will have problems meeting the deadline.

Methods of Assessment

15% In Class Test: Unseen Painting
20% Presentation and Paper 1: 3-4 pages
30% Paper 2: 5-6 pages
35% Paper 3: 7-8 pages

Time Management

Presentations occur throughout the semester, and by week 3 you will know when yours is scheduled, and the dates of the other 2 assignments. Therefore you are responsible for your own time management. If your presentation coincides with another assignment, do one assignment earlier! Late 2nd and 3rd assignments will not be accepted because "I had to write my presentation"…

Documentation/Plagiarism Policy

All papers submitted for this course are assumed to be your own, original work. Students found plagiarizing (using someone else's ideas or words without proper acknowledgement) will receive an "F" for that assignment and may fail the course, depending on the severity of the offense.

To ensure that you avoid plagiarism you must use the MLA style of documentation, and I shall provide a handout and an explanation of MLA style at the start of the course. Please see me before turning in an assignment if you are still in doubt about how to cite properly