As one of Ashbourne’s smaller departments, the History of Art Department provides students with an intimate environment for focused and intense discussion revolving around the history and development of Western art. Classes are highly interactive, and students are encouraged to discuss and debate their ideas with both their tutor and with each other. A major advantage of studying History of Art at Ashbourne is the College’s proximity to the world-class galleries of central London, and students are able to take full advantage of Ashbourne’s location to undertake regular visits to galleries and exhibitions in order to see original artworks in venues including the National Gallery, the Royal Academy, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the Wallace Collection, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The department has a wide range of both print and audio-visual resources that students can use throughout the course of their studies; equally, the department benefits from its highly knowledgeable, passionate, and committed staff who strive to instill their students with a lifelong interest in, and enthusiasm for, the study of art.

Why study History of Art?

The study of History of Art, first and foremost, provides students with the skills and the critical vocabulary they need in order to analyse and interpret works of art. However, History of Art goes beyond providing a mere overview of artistic trends, giving students a wide-ranging cultural and historical understanding as the course follows the progression of Western art from the Classical world to the present day. Students are taught to consider works of art within their historical and cultural contexts; this makes A Level History of Art an ideal complement to other humanities subjects (including English Literature, English Language, History, Classics, Modern Languages, or Philosophy) but it is also a helpful A Level for students of Fine Art as it helps them to make links between their own work and that of previous artistic traditions. By the end of the course, students should be able to look at any painting, drawing, sculpture or building and analyse it critically in terms of its composition and historical context.

Which syllabus do we follow?

We follow the AQA syllabus for History of Art.

How many units are there?

There are four units in total: two at AS and two at A2.

What is each unit about?

Unit 1

AS Unit 1 – Visual Analysis and Interpretation. Students begin the course by learning how to analyse the visual features and stylistic elements of painting, sculpture and architecture. The works studied span the whole of the Western artistic canon and candidates are taught how to use appropriate terminology to examine art and to show awareness of the historical, social and cultural contexts of art and architecture.

Unit 2

AS Unit 2 – Themes in History of Art. In this unit, students investigate art historical themes such as patronage, form and style, subjects and genres, gender, nationality, and ethnicity, and materials, techniques and processes. They are then taught to consider and apply these themes to a range of teacher-selected examples drawn from the history of Western art from Classical Greece the end of the twentieth century.

Unit 3

A2 Unit 3 – Investigation and Interpretation (1)
In this unit, students undertake an in-depth study of one historical period of art, selected from one of four different options. At present, Ashbourne students currently study Art and Architecture in Nineteenth-Century Europe.

Unit 4

A2 Unit 4 – Investigation and Interpretation (2)
 In this unit, students undertake an in-depth study of one historical period of art, selected from one of four different options. Currently, Ashbourne students study Art and Architecture in Sixteenth-Century Europe for this unit.

How is the course examined?

Unit 1

In this unit, candidates are required to answer three questions on unseen works of art (analysing one painting, one sculpture and one piece of architecture) in one hour.

Unit 2

Candidates answer three essay questions (chosen from 3 different topic areas) in one and a half hours. Candidates have a choice of 3 topic areas out of 6, with one essay question per topic.

Unit 3

Candidates answer two essay questions from a choice of 4 on their prescribed art-historical period in one and a half hours.

Unit 4

Candidates answer two essay questions from a choice of 4 on their prescribed art-historical period in one and a half hours.

How is the course structured?

Students study Unit 1 from September to December of the AS year, and then Unit 2 from January to March of the AS year. They study Units 3 and 4 in the A2 year in chronological order, beginning with Unit 4 (16th-Century Art) followed by Unit 3 (19th-Century Art).

When do the exams take place?

The AQA History of Art course is assessed by examination only. All History of Art examinations are only available in June, with AS students sitting Units 1 and 2 in June of their AS year and A2 students sitting Units 3 and 4 in June of their final year. In addition, A2 students have the option of re-sitting AS units in June of their A2 year if they choose to do so.

Which Ashbourne teachers teach this course?

Breanne Grantham
[MA English Literature (York), BA Hons English and French, BEd (Queen's University, Ontario, Canada), Diplome Annuel (Universite Paris IV - Sorbonne)]

Breanne was educated at Queen’s University, Canada and the Sorbonne University in Paris, and holds a Masters degree in English Literature from the University of York. She joined Ashbourne in 2005 as Head of GCSE and is currently an Assistant Director of Studies, teaching A Level English Literature, English Language, and History of Art. She is passionate about engaging students’ interest and encouraging them to develop their enthusiasm for literature and art history both in and outside the classroom. Recently, she helped organise the first English Department trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, and together with James Wykes, has inspired students to produce our first College newspaper.

Ben Pollitt
MA Theatre and Development Studies (East Anglia), BA English Literature (Edinburgh), PGCE (Greenwich)]

Ben has a degree in English Literature, an MA in Theatre and Development Studies from the University of East Anglia, and a PGCE from the University of Greenwich. Ben is a highly qualified and experienced teacher who has traveled widely, including a two-year stint teaching English and Drama in a secondary school in Rwanda. Ben is also a GCSE English coursework moderator and an examiner for GCE History of Art.

Beyond A Level for History of Art Students

History of Art A Level is, of course, ideal for anyone who wants to pursue study in History of Art at undergraduate level; studying History of Art at university is an immensely enjoyable course and can lead to further study of art history at graduate level, or into a wide range of careers including work in arts administration, art galleries, museums, auction houses, art conservation, curatorial posts, and the travel and tourism industries to name just a few. In addition, History of Art A Level combines well with (and is a good preparation for) other humanities subjects at university (such as literature and history), but it is equally a good choice for those studying Art and Design courses.

Textbooks

There are no set textbooks for A Level History of Art; however, the following list provides students with a few key texts that they can consult prior to and throughout their course:

Hugh Honour and John Fleming, A World History of Art (Laurence King, 7th Edition)

E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art (Phaidon Press, 16th Edition)

John Berger, Ways of Seeing (Penguin Classics, 2008)

Robert Hughes, The Shock of the New: Art and the Century of Change (Thames and Hudson, Revised Edition 1991)