This is a 120 ECTS major, meaning that you will also need to complete a 60 ECTS minor in another subject to graduate with a BA degree.
The subject is also offered as a 60 ECTS minor alongside a 120 ECTS major in another subject.
The art history and theory programme trains students in visual literacy, enabling them to ‘read’ imagery as one would read a text. Students are also introduced to the main concepts and analytical methods within the field. Students explore art from various perspectives, including form, iconography, sociohistorical background and feminist theory.
The programme also covers different kinds of art, including:
and visual culture in a broader context, including cinema, graphic novels, advertisements and photography.
Teaching is divided into two main components: firstly, the aesthetic aspects of a work of art and secondly, the social context, such as the circumstances surrounding the work or the artist but also how the work relates to science, politics, religion and various philosophies.
Students are also trained in the philosophy of art / aesthetics, museum studies, exhibition design and art criticism.
Teaching takes place both on the UI campus and at the IUA Department of Fine Art in Laugarnes.
Foreign universities began teaching art history and theory almost 200 years ago. This subject is not always given the same name in languages other than Icelandic, depending on the traditions of each country and different focuses.
It is either called art history (konsthistoria, Kunstgeschichte) or art theory (konstvetenskap, Kunstwissenschaft).
Icelandic matriculation examination (stúdentspróf) or equivalent qualification. Further information can be found in article 17, regulation on admission requirements for undergraduate study no. 331/2022. The art history courses taught by the Iceland University of the Arts are only open to art history students, not other UI students.
Applicants with qualifications from a school abroad who plan to enrol in an undergraduate programme taught in Icelandic at the Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies must also pass a special entrance exam in Icelandic, in accordance with Article 1.
120 credits must be completed, with 60 credits in an academic year counting as full-time study. A major of 120 credits and a minor of 60 credits grants a BA degree. The program is developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Iceland and the Department of Fine Arts at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. A total of 80 credits is mandatory, including 70 credits of required courses and a 10-credit BA thesis. The required courses cover methodology and the history of art history, providing an overview of domestic and international art history in the past and present. Ten credits are designated electives, where students choose between SAG101G, Historical Methods, and ÍSR301G, Writing Skills I. Students can take 30 credits in elective subjects, with a maximum of 20 credits in disciplines other than art history, selected from the list below. If a student wishes to take different courses as electives, approval from the program chair is required.
Check below to see how the programme is structured.
This programme does not offer specialisations.
This course introduces students to some of the basic skills that they will use in the study of history. The special character of history and its relationship with other fields of study will be discussed. The students will be introduced to the sources and methods used in historical research and the writing and presenting of historical work. - Students must register for the course in the beginning of their history study (first or second semester, depending on whether they start in January or September).
This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through regular assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.
In the course the main works of Western art from the early renaissance to the early 19. century. Geographically, the focus is on works of art from Italy and Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany and England. Main methods and schools, academies and manifestations of art in religious, political and social contexts will be discussed. Painting, sculpture, architecture, the artisanal works and printmaking will be discussed. Efforts will be made to examine the extent to which art reflects society, how imagery reflects the life and worldview of people in different periods. Different approaches to time and space at any given time will be discussed, changes in the symbolic image of the body, the status and social role of the artist, and the interactions of art and institutions of power. In connection with these issues, key works of each period will be taken for detailed interpretation and their distribution history discussed.
Methodology and Theory of Art History (LIS101G) is an introductory methods course. The concept of art will be discussed and students will be introduced to the historical foundation and development of art history, the theoretical grounds of art history as an independent subject, and its relation to other academic subjects. Key concepts, methodologies of art historical research and analysis, and some of the major theories that have shaped the practice of art history will be introduced. Students receive training in visual analysis and are introduced to some of the most important methodologies of art historical analysis, including formalism, iconography, and Marxist analysis. Emphasis is placed on the development of critical thinking and student's ability to analyse texts and images in a critical manner.
A survey of Icelandic art from 1860 to 1970. The course will look at the origins of Icelandic modern art, selected Icelandic artists and factors influencing the Icelandic art scene, influence from foreign art ideas and movements, attempts at definging "national" Icelandic art, government support and influence on the development of visual art, the tension between proponents of "national" art and "non-national" art as well as between "expressive"art and " conceptual" forms of art presentation, local art education and the characteristics of art critic as it appeared in the printed media. An attempt will be made to evaluate characteristics of Icelandic visual art in relation to foreign developments and changes in Icelandic society and history.
The main characteristics and historical development of Icelandic art in the last decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century will be examined in the light of Icelandic society and the context of foreign art development. Topics include SÚM's legacy in the seventies, the establishment of Gallerí Suðurgata 7 and the Living Art Museum, the characteristics of the Icelandic conceptual art and developmeent of contemporary media, such as photography, installation art, and performance art, the establishment of the Sculptors' Association in Reykjavík and the rise of three-dimensional art, media and more recently the overlap of art, film, and music. Emphasis will be made on approach of emerging artists to visual arts heritage at any given time, e.g. to natural heritage and “national” representation in art. The characteristics of critical art discussion, art education, participation in the Venice Biennale, the operation of galleries, and the establishment of contemporary exhibition groups will also be reviewed
A survey of the development of visual art from the upheaval of Modernism at the beginning of the 20th Century and through the major 20th century progressive movements up to 1960. The main principles, politics and characteristics of Modern art and its impact on later times will be clarified. The relationship between art and politics, philosophy, and societal development will be discussed and thought will be given to the radical reevaluation of the concept of aesthetics in art of the 20th century. How are changed perceptions of time and space reflected in art? How do the above-mentioned art movements disturb the people's general perceptions of the environment and reality? What is "inner" reality? Must art be visible? What is the deifference between visual language, the language we speak, and other forms of sign languege? International art exhibits shown in Iceland will be visited and tied into the course if possible.
In the course, the development of international contemporary visual art from 1970 and up until our times is reviewed. Using thematic premises contemporary art processes, main directions, movements, individuals and ideas which have characterised the period will be scrutinized. New modes of practice will be examined, with special focus on new modes of practice, environmental art and installation art, performance art; interactive digital media; experimental cineme and video art; conceptual art and photography as an artform. Visual art practice is also examined in the context og local and global issues, in terms of politics, economy and society.
A survey of Icelandic art from 1860 to 1970. The course will look at the origins of Icelandic modern art, selected Icelandic artists and factors influencing the Icelandic art scene, influence from foreign art ideas and movements, attempts at definging "national" Icelandic art, government support and influence on the development of visual art, the tension between proponents of "national" art and "non-national" art as well as between "expressive"art and " conceptual" forms of art presentation, local art education and the characteristics of art critic as it appeared in the printed media. An attempt will be made to evaluate characteristics of Icelandic visual art in relation to foreign developments and changes in Icelandic society and history.
The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/
Further information regading the Ba thesis in Art History can be found on the Canvas site.
See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544
The course aims to give a brief survey of selected topics in the philosophy of art; to introduce students to particular discussions, questions, theories and arguments in the philosophy of art through selected readings, both historical and contemporary; and to enable students to discuss topics related to aesthetics.
Contemporary academic and artist discourses are today bringing forth new narratives about the role that the esoteric, the spiritual, and the occult have played in the history of modern art and culture. What was once disavowed and pushed to the margins or dismissed as the “irrational” folly of dreamers and fools, esoteric ideas, beliefs, practices, and symbols have played an integral part in aesthetic modernism and modern culture in the 19th and 20th centuries, leading into the contemporary moment. The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to several core esoteric traditions and practices – such as theosophy, magic, alchemy, spiritism, new age spirituality, occulture, etc. - and examine how they interact and impact upon modern art theory and practice. As such, we will explore how art in this regard is not only a medium for the representation and expression of esoteric concepts, it also operates as a site for ritual and experiential occult praxis. Through key works, movements, and artists, the course will look at cultural history with an interdisciplinary gaze that allows for the presence of other art forms such as dance, music, and film.
The course provides an introduction to experimental film and film theory within the context of fine art. Various epochs and the critical responses that they provoked are defined and analysed. We look at different theoretical frameworks, such as Modernism, Humanism, Structuralism, Postmodernism, and the Anti-Aesthetic and make use of works by authors such as Kant, Nietzsche, Marx, Lacan, Bazin, Baudrillard, McLuhan and Jameson in order to analyse these. This theoretical framework provides a lens to interpret avant-garde cinema and fine art movements beginning with the emergence of expressionism. The course seeks to interpret the role of individualism via mass media as we explore various artists and filmmakers whose works are relevant in the context of this theoretical framework. Emphasis is placed on the viewing of time-based media that illustrate the various theories presented during the course, with a focus being on artists and filmmakers who have embraced these ideologies within their practice.
This course will consider performance art in light of global warming and the contemporary threat to the natural environment. What impact can performance art make in this context? How have artists considered and reacted to the consequences of human activities on the Earth and its ecosystem? The intertwinement of performance art and Land art in the sixties and seventies will be highlighted, and the link between art and political environmental movements discussed. We will examine how contemporary artists around the globe have used performance to shed light on the complex relation of human beings to the environment, the boundaries of human-made and natural environments and the impact of global warming on human societies, on animals and the Earth‘s ecosystem. The environmental movement‘s connections to feminist critiques and indigenous struggle around the globe will be discussed. The definition of performance will be examined and organic processes and nonhuman activities within art will be considered in light of contemporary radical philosophies.
Artists’ books by Icelandic and foreign artists from the 1960s until the present are the subject of this course. Some sixty years ago a movement of artists who focused on the production of books as artworks took form. They exchanged books by mail and in doing so created a transnational network to foster radical new ideas on art, society and culture. Some Icelandic artists were quick to embrace this new art form, thus laying the groundwork for a tradition that later generations of artists have used to disseminate their art and nurture communication with progressive artists around the world. In the course we will examine this important aspect of contemporary Icelandic art, and try to reveal the important role that artists’ books played in ending the isolation of Icelandic artists and allowing them to become active participants in the international avant-garde. Emphasis will also be placed on identifying the uniqueness of artists´ books, as well as the context of diverse media used by artists and the overlap with other art forms: poetry, music, the performing arts, etc. We will focus on researching the interplay of visual elements and text in artists´ books and the shift in perception that occurs when different art forms are placed together in a book. We work with various artists´ books, artists´ writing about their own work as well as theoretical context. Emphasis is placed on independent student practice, artistic creation and new research on artists’ books.
The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/
Further information regading the Ba thesis in Art History can be found on the Canvas site.
See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544
This course examines how contemporary artists respond to and reimagine futures shaped by white supremacy, the colonial legacy, and capitalist systems of power. Rather than treating the future as abstract or technological, we approach it as a site of struggle, a space where dominant power systems extend themselves, and where others imagine, rehearse, and refuse. Drawing from Co-futurism, Radical Futurism and decolonial thought, students engage with artistic practices that break from linear time and extractive logics. These include speculative aesthetics, science-fictional imaginaries and counter-archives. The course also approaches future-making as a healing and collective act, a practice of care, resistance, and relation. We will ask questions such as what futures are being designed for us? What aesthetic and political gestures might help us diverge from those scripts? Through readings, screenings, and studio practice, students will build their own research-based or practice-led projects. Emphasis will be placed on situated knowledge, unlearning, and creative experimentation. Students will critically engage with theories of the colonial present, temporality, and futurity, situating their own perspectives within both local and global contexts. Through artistic research and speculative practice, students will explore alternative world-making and aesthetic strategies that resist and reimagine dominant power structures. Students will develop and articulate their own artistic positions with critical awareness, openness, and social responsibility.
Interdisciplinary reseach on material culture has expanded considerably in the last decades. Although art historians have, in some sense, always studied materiality, material culture, collecting and provenance, art history as a field has had limited part in academic discourse within material culture studies on human relationships to objects. In this course students are afforded a valuable opportunity to consider deeply art objects and their „lives“ within and outside of institutions: their manufacture, use, exchange, exhibition, conservation, classification and definition, as well as the values and ideas attached to them. Each week students are presented with one object of study and receive training in various methods of researching, analyzing and interpreting art, through visual analysis, analysis of the material and make of objects, their categorization within the classification systems of museums and examination of provenance and exhibition history. Alongside this students will be introduced to theories of material culture studies and their intersection with the subjects and theories art history, such as insititutional critique and provenance. The course is run in collaboration with museums in the capital region of Iceland and is suitable for students of art history, visual art, history, archaeology, folkloristics and museum studies.
In this course, the intention is to look at the history of media art, focusing on the development that has taken place from the technological art of the sixties to the new media of today. Students are given an insight into the history of technological art and its relationship to modern art but the main focus is on the period after 1960 and the theories that then emerged about audience participation, interaction and interdisciplinary artistic practice. These concepts took on new meaning with the advent of new media after 1980, which called for new notions, such as interactivity, multimedia and network. The influence of history of technology media with the advent of the prefix “new” is looked at specifically in this context, in accordance with the focus art theory. Basic concepts in media art theory that students need to adopt are introduced, such as participation, interactivity, electronic, digital, new media, multimedia, virtual reality, telepresence, bio art, synesthesia and activism.
Artists’ self portraits are a varied category of images where the artist utilizes his own body as a reference. The making of such work has been a significant aspect of modern art from the renaissance to the contemporary age. They present a multitude of ways artists approach their subject matter, be it as a psychological self-research, the establishment of the artists’ status in society, allegories about the importance of art, or a critical approach to present-day events. In the course self portraits of Icelandic as well as foreign artists will be the focus of research in terms of the above-mentioned approaches. Thus a minor subgenre within the visual arts will be used to illuminate the context of art in general.
This course explores artworks in the context of gender and discusses the theoretical basis of gender studies and its trans-disciplinary nature. It seeks to explore how ideas on gender influence artistic practice and discussion and writing on the fine arts. The representations and meanings of gender in language, society and culture are also analyzed with an emphasis on stereotypes and/or their deconstruction in the positions artists take in their work. The approach taken by feminists and queer theory is used to explore the role of gender in the works of artists who bend stereotypical images of femininity and masculinity and create upheaval in the dominant discourse and gender systems of the Western world. Studies on gender inequality and its diverse representations in the contemporary art world are introduced and discussed.
Exhibition making is a complex process that affects and influences multiple aspects of artworks and representation. In the course students will get to know exhibition making from different points of view with a special emphasis on current methods and approaches. Different aspects of exhibition making will be addressed, students will work in groups as well as on individual assignments and though these get to know varied aspects of the process. In the course students are introduced to the concepts of curator and curation, theories on, and different kinds of, collaboration with artists and the context of space and theory in regards to exhibition making.
Research and practical know how in relation to exhibition making will be the main focus of the course. Students will contribute to an exhibition in public space, though research, conceptual work, selection of works, writing, making of a exhibition catalog, installing works to name a few aspect.
An interdisciplinary and introductory course entailing a dialogue between the academic fields of the department, i.e. comparative literature, film studies, gender studies, art studies, linguistics, cultural studies, sign language and interpreting studies and translation studies. The latest international developments in the field of humanities will be examined and questions asked about the relationship of academic studies and our world view(s). We will analyse the semiotic system of language, inquiring whether it can serve as the basis for our understanding of other semiotic systems. We will ask about the connection and relationship between different languages and linguistic worlds. What is "multiculture"? How are spoken language, written language and visual language interconnected within society? What constitutes cultural literacy? Literature, art, film and other visual material will be examined in both a national and international context, with a view to how these semiotic systems influence the borderlines of gender, race, class, nation, and different world cultures. The study materials include theoretical and critical writings, literary works, visual art and images, and films, as well as some current media coverage. Evaluation is based on four assignments and a written exam.
Discussion of various approaches to writing about literature and film (from research papers to reviews, polemical essays, and informal articles). Students will be trained in the various aspects of composition: locating and organizing material, using sources, building arguments, revising, and editing. This includes analyzing different critical discourses, as well as the implied reader and other relevant theoretical issues. This is a required course for students majoring in Comparative Literature and first-year students are urged to register for it.
What is known about the long lost medieval Icelandic church buildings? On what source material does the knowledge rest? What was the purpose of these buildings in their contemporanean society? Although there are no remaining medieval church buildings in Iceland, there is, substantial source material to base some knowledge about these churches. Several sites have been excavated and there is also some information in different types of written sources. Much of interior utensils and decoration has been preserved. The course aims at presenting what is known about medieval Icelandic churches and the society that built them and used them. The churches will be studied according to their rank in the church hierarchy: Cathedrals, monastic/larger churches and other types. The outer form will be presented as well as the importance of reuse of building material.
Performance Studies is the study of how humans create meaning and identity through shared activities ranging from traditional ritual and religion to storytelling and the arts as well as sports, stand-up comedy, festivals, masking traditions, civic ceremonies, political action and protest, dinner parties, and the virtual world. The course introduces students to theories about the wide range of semiotics involved in performance, from spoken text, to costume and appearance, expression and gesture, gender, social contexts, timing and use of space, as well as audience reception.
What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.
In this course, 19th and 20th century ideas that had fundamental effects on Western philosophy and intellectual history, will be examined. These are socially transformative ideas such as freedom, secularism, equality, resistance, the relation between the individual and society, ideas concerning existence and the soul, oppression, injustice, the national state and capitalism. Perhaps last but not least ideas about history, time and evolution of humanity and the planet.
Each week a new thinker or idea that transformed Western intellectual history is introduced and engaged with. Thinkers such as G.W.F. Hegel, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Rosa Luxembourg and Emma Goldman are analysed and influential isms such as phenomenology, neoliberalism or postructuralism. The aim is to read these thinkers and isms in accordance with the zeitgeist of the historical period they belong to (to the extent that we, people in the 21st century can “read” zeitgeists of older periods). At the same time the aim is to dig deep into original texts and to acquire multi-dimensional understanding of the ideas. Important part of the course is also to look at these themes in relation to the present times and the issues happening at the moment in Western societies and all around the globe.
The invention of cinema itself harks back to the tumultous area of technological change and social upheavals that brought about the revolutionary artistic movements of the first decades of the century, while the development of the medium of film is no less closely aligned with the process of globalization, dizzying forms of cultural change and rapid pace of technological progress that constitute the postmodern condition. Connections between the medium of film and postmodernism demarcate the central research questions addressed in the class. The class will examine the role of cinema in the development of the society of spectacle, paying attention to the suddenly troublesome and contested existence of the concept of „truth“ in postmodern times, nostalgia as a mode, the emergence of simulacra and the threat that notions of intertextuality and remediation pose to notions of originality and the „integrity“ of the work of art. Among films screened in the class will be Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1982), Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986), The Matrix (Wachowskis, 1999) and American Psycho (Harron, 2000). Among the scholars to be read in the class are Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard and Mark Fisher.
A historical overview of cinema from its emergence in the late 19th century to it contemporary role. The course will introduce students to influential film movements and styles from around the world, including Soviet Montage, French Impressionism, German Expressionism, classical Hollywood cinema, Italian Neorealism, Japanese Minimalism, the French New Wave, New German cinema, Third cinema, and Hong Kong action cinema. Diverse readings will provide a comprehensive overview supplementing screenings of key films. Particular emphasis will be placed on the aesthetic development of the film medium and its social and cultural relevance.
By focusing on folk tales, literature and other relevant sources, the course discusses the manifestations of nature and the supernatural in Icelandic narrative culture throughout the centuries. Students will learn about the significance, interface, and unclear boundaries of these phenomena and how they have shaped society and the environment as well. Students will thus get to know different ideas about the position of people and (other) animals within, above or "outside" of nature. Through diverse lectures and assignments, topics such as humanity vs. animality, the known world vs. other worlds, and materiality vs. the supernatural, will be discussed from critical points of view. The roles and forms of landscape, organisms, bodies, weather, and natural phenomena in the narrative culture will be explored. The latest research in this broad field will be presented, such as on the representation of earthquakes and celestial bodies, bears, whales, seals, and domestic animals, and on the supernatural creatures of nature and other mythological creatures such as fairies, ghosts, trolls, and berserks. Students will learn how story worlds and folklore have left their mark on the perception of nature, folk traditions, folk customs, and social spaces such as enchanted spots, sacred places and hunted places. We also ask how these narratives appear in folk art and visual art, from previous centuries to the present. Finally, we will explore the significance of nature narratives and the supernatural in the context of the Anthropocene, human perspectives, climate change, and the different statuses of social groups and species
The course provides a historical overview of film theory, with students reading a wide range of texts by important theorists and philosophers of cinema, and watching historically relevant films. It will cover the work of such pioneers as Sergei Eisenstein, Rudolf Arnheim, Siegfried Kracauer and André Bazin, before addressing major theoretical shifts beginning with structuralism in the 1960s, while also including Althusserian Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial theory and cultural studies. Screened films will emphasize the heterogeneity of film theory and provide fruitful ground for further discussions.
This course is an introduction to the study of the material culture of everyday life. Students will be get a good glimpse of this multidisciplinary field, with examples drawn from the past as well as the present, and with equal emphasis on the material culture of Iceland and that of other countries. The topics of study will range from clothes and fashion to foodways, from the objects in our daily surroundings to trash and hygiene, from crafts and consumer goods to houses, gardens and the home, and from urban landscapes to museums and exhibits. Along the way, students will gain familiarity with various theoretical concepts and approaches emphasizing for example the human body, gender, consumption, place and space.
An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.
Teaching form:
The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.
This course introduces students to some of the basic skills that they will use in the study of history. The special character of history and its relationship with other fields of study will be discussed. The students will be introduced to the sources and methods used in historical research and the writing and presenting of historical work. - Students must register for the course in the beginning of their history study (first or second semester, depending on whether they start in January or September).
This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through regular assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.
In the course the main works of Western art from the early renaissance to the early 19. century. Geographically, the focus is on works of art from Italy and Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany and England. Main methods and schools, academies and manifestations of art in religious, political and social contexts will be discussed. Painting, sculpture, architecture, the artisanal works and printmaking will be discussed. Efforts will be made to examine the extent to which art reflects society, how imagery reflects the life and worldview of people in different periods. Different approaches to time and space at any given time will be discussed, changes in the symbolic image of the body, the status and social role of the artist, and the interactions of art and institutions of power. In connection with these issues, key works of each period will be taken for detailed interpretation and their distribution history discussed.
Methodology and Theory of Art History (LIS101G) is an introductory methods course. The concept of art will be discussed and students will be introduced to the historical foundation and development of art history, the theoretical grounds of art history as an independent subject, and its relation to other academic subjects. Key concepts, methodologies of art historical research and analysis, and some of the major theories that have shaped the practice of art history will be introduced. Students receive training in visual analysis and are introduced to some of the most important methodologies of art historical analysis, including formalism, iconography, and Marxist analysis. Emphasis is placed on the development of critical thinking and student's ability to analyse texts and images in a critical manner.
A survey of Icelandic art from 1860 to 1970. The course will look at the origins of Icelandic modern art, selected Icelandic artists and factors influencing the Icelandic art scene, influence from foreign art ideas and movements, attempts at definging "national" Icelandic art, government support and influence on the development of visual art, the tension between proponents of "national" art and "non-national" art as well as between "expressive"art and " conceptual" forms of art presentation, local art education and the characteristics of art critic as it appeared in the printed media. An attempt will be made to evaluate characteristics of Icelandic visual art in relation to foreign developments and changes in Icelandic society and history.
The main characteristics and historical development of Icelandic art in the last decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century will be examined in the light of Icelandic society and the context of foreign art development. Topics include SÚM's legacy in the seventies, the establishment of Gallerí Suðurgata 7 and the Living Art Museum, the characteristics of the Icelandic conceptual art and developmeent of contemporary media, such as photography, installation art, and performance art, the establishment of the Sculptors' Association in Reykjavík and the rise of three-dimensional art, media and more recently the overlap of art, film, and music. Emphasis will be made on approach of emerging artists to visual arts heritage at any given time, e.g. to natural heritage and “national” representation in art. The characteristics of critical art discussion, art education, participation in the Venice Biennale, the operation of galleries, and the establishment of contemporary exhibition groups will also be reviewed
A survey of the development of visual art from the upheaval of Modernism at the beginning of the 20th Century and through the major 20th century progressive movements up to 1960. The main principles, politics and characteristics of Modern art and its impact on later times will be clarified. The relationship between art and politics, philosophy, and societal development will be discussed and thought will be given to the radical reevaluation of the concept of aesthetics in art of the 20th century. How are changed perceptions of time and space reflected in art? How do the above-mentioned art movements disturb the people's general perceptions of the environment and reality? What is "inner" reality? Must art be visible? What is the deifference between visual language, the language we speak, and other forms of sign languege? International art exhibits shown in Iceland will be visited and tied into the course if possible.
In the course, the development of international contemporary visual art from 1970 and up until our times is reviewed. Using thematic premises contemporary art processes, main directions, movements, individuals and ideas which have characterised the period will be scrutinized. New modes of practice will be examined, with special focus on new modes of practice, environmental art and installation art, performance art; interactive digital media; experimental cineme and video art; conceptual art and photography as an artform. Visual art practice is also examined in the context og local and global issues, in terms of politics, economy and society.
A survey of Icelandic art from 1860 to 1970. The course will look at the origins of Icelandic modern art, selected Icelandic artists and factors influencing the Icelandic art scene, influence from foreign art ideas and movements, attempts at definging "national" Icelandic art, government support and influence on the development of visual art, the tension between proponents of "national" art and "non-national" art as well as between "expressive"art and " conceptual" forms of art presentation, local art education and the characteristics of art critic as it appeared in the printed media. An attempt will be made to evaluate characteristics of Icelandic visual art in relation to foreign developments and changes in Icelandic society and history.
The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/
Further information regading the Ba thesis in Art History can be found on the Canvas site.
See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544
The course aims to give a brief survey of selected topics in the philosophy of art; to introduce students to particular discussions, questions, theories and arguments in the philosophy of art through selected readings, both historical and contemporary; and to enable students to discuss topics related to aesthetics.
Contemporary academic and artist discourses are today bringing forth new narratives about the role that the esoteric, the spiritual, and the occult have played in the history of modern art and culture. What was once disavowed and pushed to the margins or dismissed as the “irrational” folly of dreamers and fools, esoteric ideas, beliefs, practices, and symbols have played an integral part in aesthetic modernism and modern culture in the 19th and 20th centuries, leading into the contemporary moment. The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to several core esoteric traditions and practices – such as theosophy, magic, alchemy, spiritism, new age spirituality, occulture, etc. - and examine how they interact and impact upon modern art theory and practice. As such, we will explore how art in this regard is not only a medium for the representation and expression of esoteric concepts, it also operates as a site for ritual and experiential occult praxis. Through key works, movements, and artists, the course will look at cultural history with an interdisciplinary gaze that allows for the presence of other art forms such as dance, music, and film.
The course provides an introduction to experimental film and film theory within the context of fine art. Various epochs and the critical responses that they provoked are defined and analysed. We look at different theoretical frameworks, such as Modernism, Humanism, Structuralism, Postmodernism, and the Anti-Aesthetic and make use of works by authors such as Kant, Nietzsche, Marx, Lacan, Bazin, Baudrillard, McLuhan and Jameson in order to analyse these. This theoretical framework provides a lens to interpret avant-garde cinema and fine art movements beginning with the emergence of expressionism. The course seeks to interpret the role of individualism via mass media as we explore various artists and filmmakers whose works are relevant in the context of this theoretical framework. Emphasis is placed on the viewing of time-based media that illustrate the various theories presented during the course, with a focus being on artists and filmmakers who have embraced these ideologies within their practice.
This course will consider performance art in light of global warming and the contemporary threat to the natural environment. What impact can performance art make in this context? How have artists considered and reacted to the consequences of human activities on the Earth and its ecosystem? The intertwinement of performance art and Land art in the sixties and seventies will be highlighted, and the link between art and political environmental movements discussed. We will examine how contemporary artists around the globe have used performance to shed light on the complex relation of human beings to the environment, the boundaries of human-made and natural environments and the impact of global warming on human societies, on animals and the Earth‘s ecosystem. The environmental movement‘s connections to feminist critiques and indigenous struggle around the globe will be discussed. The definition of performance will be examined and organic processes and nonhuman activities within art will be considered in light of contemporary radical philosophies.
Artists’ books by Icelandic and foreign artists from the 1960s until the present are the subject of this course. Some sixty years ago a movement of artists who focused on the production of books as artworks took form. They exchanged books by mail and in doing so created a transnational network to foster radical new ideas on art, society and culture. Some Icelandic artists were quick to embrace this new art form, thus laying the groundwork for a tradition that later generations of artists have used to disseminate their art and nurture communication with progressive artists around the world. In the course we will examine this important aspect of contemporary Icelandic art, and try to reveal the important role that artists’ books played in ending the isolation of Icelandic artists and allowing them to become active participants in the international avant-garde. Emphasis will also be placed on identifying the uniqueness of artists´ books, as well as the context of diverse media used by artists and the overlap with other art forms: poetry, music, the performing arts, etc. We will focus on researching the interplay of visual elements and text in artists´ books and the shift in perception that occurs when different art forms are placed together in a book. We work with various artists´ books, artists´ writing about their own work as well as theoretical context. Emphasis is placed on independent student practice, artistic creation and new research on artists’ books.
The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/
Further information regading the Ba thesis in Art History can be found on the Canvas site.
See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544
This course examines how contemporary artists respond to and reimagine futures shaped by white supremacy, the colonial legacy, and capitalist systems of power. Rather than treating the future as abstract or technological, we approach it as a site of struggle, a space where dominant power systems extend themselves, and where others imagine, rehearse, and refuse. Drawing from Co-futurism, Radical Futurism and decolonial thought, students engage with artistic practices that break from linear time and extractive logics. These include speculative aesthetics, science-fictional imaginaries and counter-archives. The course also approaches future-making as a healing and collective act, a practice of care, resistance, and relation. We will ask questions such as what futures are being designed for us? What aesthetic and political gestures might help us diverge from those scripts? Through readings, screenings, and studio practice, students will build their own research-based or practice-led projects. Emphasis will be placed on situated knowledge, unlearning, and creative experimentation. Students will critically engage with theories of the colonial present, temporality, and futurity, situating their own perspectives within both local and global contexts. Through artistic research and speculative practice, students will explore alternative world-making and aesthetic strategies that resist and reimagine dominant power structures. Students will develop and articulate their own artistic positions with critical awareness, openness, and social responsibility.
Interdisciplinary reseach on material culture has expanded considerably in the last decades. Although art historians have, in some sense, always studied materiality, material culture, collecting and provenance, art history as a field has had limited part in academic discourse within material culture studies on human relationships to objects. In this course students are afforded a valuable opportunity to consider deeply art objects and their „lives“ within and outside of institutions: their manufacture, use, exchange, exhibition, conservation, classification and definition, as well as the values and ideas attached to them. Each week students are presented with one object of study and receive training in various methods of researching, analyzing and interpreting art, through visual analysis, analysis of the material and make of objects, their categorization within the classification systems of museums and examination of provenance and exhibition history. Alongside this students will be introduced to theories of material culture studies and their intersection with the subjects and theories art history, such as insititutional critique and provenance. The course is run in collaboration with museums in the capital region of Iceland and is suitable for students of art history, visual art, history, archaeology, folkloristics and museum studies.
In this course, the intention is to look at the history of media art, focusing on the development that has taken place from the technological art of the sixties to the new media of today. Students are given an insight into the history of technological art and its relationship to modern art but the main focus is on the period after 1960 and the theories that then emerged about audience participation, interaction and interdisciplinary artistic practice. These concepts took on new meaning with the advent of new media after 1980, which called for new notions, such as interactivity, multimedia and network. The influence of history of technology media with the advent of the prefix “new” is looked at specifically in this context, in accordance with the focus art theory. Basic concepts in media art theory that students need to adopt are introduced, such as participation, interactivity, electronic, digital, new media, multimedia, virtual reality, telepresence, bio art, synesthesia and activism.
Artists’ self portraits are a varied category of images where the artist utilizes his own body as a reference. The making of such work has been a significant aspect of modern art from the renaissance to the contemporary age. They present a multitude of ways artists approach their subject matter, be it as a psychological self-research, the establishment of the artists’ status in society, allegories about the importance of art, or a critical approach to present-day events. In the course self portraits of Icelandic as well as foreign artists will be the focus of research in terms of the above-mentioned approaches. Thus a minor subgenre within the visual arts will be used to illuminate the context of art in general.
This course explores artworks in the context of gender and discusses the theoretical basis of gender studies and its trans-disciplinary nature. It seeks to explore how ideas on gender influence artistic practice and discussion and writing on the fine arts. The representations and meanings of gender in language, society and culture are also analyzed with an emphasis on stereotypes and/or their deconstruction in the positions artists take in their work. The approach taken by feminists and queer theory is used to explore the role of gender in the works of artists who bend stereotypical images of femininity and masculinity and create upheaval in the dominant discourse and gender systems of the Western world. Studies on gender inequality and its diverse representations in the contemporary art world are introduced and discussed.
Exhibition making is a complex process that affects and influences multiple aspects of artworks and representation. In the course students will get to know exhibition making from different points of view with a special emphasis on current methods and approaches. Different aspects of exhibition making will be addressed, students will work in groups as well as on individual assignments and though these get to know varied aspects of the process. In the course students are introduced to the concepts of curator and curation, theories on, and different kinds of, collaboration with artists and the context of space and theory in regards to exhibition making.
Research and practical know how in relation to exhibition making will be the main focus of the course. Students will contribute to an exhibition in public space, though research, conceptual work, selection of works, writing, making of a exhibition catalog, installing works to name a few aspect.
An interdisciplinary and introductory course entailing a dialogue between the academic fields of the department, i.e. comparative literature, film studies, gender studies, art studies, linguistics, cultural studies, sign language and interpreting studies and translation studies. The latest international developments in the field of humanities will be examined and questions asked about the relationship of academic studies and our world view(s). We will analyse the semiotic system of language, inquiring whether it can serve as the basis for our understanding of other semiotic systems. We will ask about the connection and relationship between different languages and linguistic worlds. What is "multiculture"? How are spoken language, written language and visual language interconnected within society? What constitutes cultural literacy? Literature, art, film and other visual material will be examined in both a national and international context, with a view to how these semiotic systems influence the borderlines of gender, race, class, nation, and different world cultures. The study materials include theoretical and critical writings, literary works, visual art and images, and films, as well as some current media coverage. Evaluation is based on four assignments and a written exam.
Discussion of various approaches to writing about literature and film (from research papers to reviews, polemical essays, and informal articles). Students will be trained in the various aspects of composition: locating and organizing material, using sources, building arguments, revising, and editing. This includes analyzing different critical discourses, as well as the implied reader and other relevant theoretical issues. This is a required course for students majoring in Comparative Literature and first-year students are urged to register for it.
What is known about the long lost medieval Icelandic church buildings? On what source material does the knowledge rest? What was the purpose of these buildings in their contemporanean society? Although there are no remaining medieval church buildings in Iceland, there is, substantial source material to base some knowledge about these churches. Several sites have been excavated and there is also some information in different types of written sources. Much of interior utensils and decoration has been preserved. The course aims at presenting what is known about medieval Icelandic churches and the society that built them and used them. The churches will be studied according to their rank in the church hierarchy: Cathedrals, monastic/larger churches and other types. The outer form will be presented as well as the importance of reuse of building material.
Performance Studies is the study of how humans create meaning and identity through shared activities ranging from traditional ritual and religion to storytelling and the arts as well as sports, stand-up comedy, festivals, masking traditions, civic ceremonies, political action and protest, dinner parties, and the virtual world. The course introduces students to theories about the wide range of semiotics involved in performance, from spoken text, to costume and appearance, expression and gesture, gender, social contexts, timing and use of space, as well as audience reception.
What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.
In this course, 19th and 20th century ideas that had fundamental effects on Western philosophy and intellectual history, will be examined. These are socially transformative ideas such as freedom, secularism, equality, resistance, the relation between the individual and society, ideas concerning existence and the soul, oppression, injustice, the national state and capitalism. Perhaps last but not least ideas about history, time and evolution of humanity and the planet.
Each week a new thinker or idea that transformed Western intellectual history is introduced and engaged with. Thinkers such as G.W.F. Hegel, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Rosa Luxembourg and Emma Goldman are analysed and influential isms such as phenomenology, neoliberalism or postructuralism. The aim is to read these thinkers and isms in accordance with the zeitgeist of the historical period they belong to (to the extent that we, people in the 21st century can “read” zeitgeists of older periods). At the same time the aim is to dig deep into original texts and to acquire multi-dimensional understanding of the ideas. Important part of the course is also to look at these themes in relation to the present times and the issues happening at the moment in Western societies and all around the globe.
The invention of cinema itself harks back to the tumultous area of technological change and social upheavals that brought about the revolutionary artistic movements of the first decades of the century, while the development of the medium of film is no less closely aligned with the process of globalization, dizzying forms of cultural change and rapid pace of technological progress that constitute the postmodern condition. Connections between the medium of film and postmodernism demarcate the central research questions addressed in the class. The class will examine the role of cinema in the development of the society of spectacle, paying attention to the suddenly troublesome and contested existence of the concept of „truth“ in postmodern times, nostalgia as a mode, the emergence of simulacra and the threat that notions of intertextuality and remediation pose to notions of originality and the „integrity“ of the work of art. Among films screened in the class will be Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1982), Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986), The Matrix (Wachowskis, 1999) and American Psycho (Harron, 2000). Among the scholars to be read in the class are Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard and Mark Fisher.
A historical overview of cinema from its emergence in the late 19th century to it contemporary role. The course will introduce students to influential film movements and styles from around the world, including Soviet Montage, French Impressionism, German Expressionism, classical Hollywood cinema, Italian Neorealism, Japanese Minimalism, the French New Wave, New German cinema, Third cinema, and Hong Kong action cinema. Diverse readings will provide a comprehensive overview supplementing screenings of key films. Particular emphasis will be placed on the aesthetic development of the film medium and its social and cultural relevance.
By focusing on folk tales, literature and other relevant sources, the course discusses the manifestations of nature and the supernatural in Icelandic narrative culture throughout the centuries. Students will learn about the significance, interface, and unclear boundaries of these phenomena and how they have shaped society and the environment as well. Students will thus get to know different ideas about the position of people and (other) animals within, above or "outside" of nature. Through diverse lectures and assignments, topics such as humanity vs. animality, the known world vs. other worlds, and materiality vs. the supernatural, will be discussed from critical points of view. The roles and forms of landscape, organisms, bodies, weather, and natural phenomena in the narrative culture will be explored. The latest research in this broad field will be presented, such as on the representation of earthquakes and celestial bodies, bears, whales, seals, and domestic animals, and on the supernatural creatures of nature and other mythological creatures such as fairies, ghosts, trolls, and berserks. Students will learn how story worlds and folklore have left their mark on the perception of nature, folk traditions, folk customs, and social spaces such as enchanted spots, sacred places and hunted places. We also ask how these narratives appear in folk art and visual art, from previous centuries to the present. Finally, we will explore the significance of nature narratives and the supernatural in the context of the Anthropocene, human perspectives, climate change, and the different statuses of social groups and species
The course provides a historical overview of film theory, with students reading a wide range of texts by important theorists and philosophers of cinema, and watching historically relevant films. It will cover the work of such pioneers as Sergei Eisenstein, Rudolf Arnheim, Siegfried Kracauer and André Bazin, before addressing major theoretical shifts beginning with structuralism in the 1960s, while also including Althusserian Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial theory and cultural studies. Screened films will emphasize the heterogeneity of film theory and provide fruitful ground for further discussions.
This course is an introduction to the study of the material culture of everyday life. Students will be get a good glimpse of this multidisciplinary field, with examples drawn from the past as well as the present, and with equal emphasis on the material culture of Iceland and that of other countries. The topics of study will range from clothes and fashion to foodways, from the objects in our daily surroundings to trash and hygiene, from crafts and consumer goods to houses, gardens and the home, and from urban landscapes to museums and exhibits. Along the way, students will gain familiarity with various theoretical concepts and approaches emphasizing for example the human body, gender, consumption, place and space.
An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.
Teaching form:
The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.
This course introduces students to some of the basic skills that they will use in the study of history. The special character of history and its relationship with other fields of study will be discussed. The students will be introduced to the sources and methods used in historical research and the writing and presenting of historical work. - Students must register for the course in the beginning of their history study (first or second semester, depending on whether they start in January or September).
This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through regular assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.
In the course the main works of Western art from the early renaissance to the early 19. century. Geographically, the focus is on works of art from Italy and Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany and England. Main methods and schools, academies and manifestations of art in religious, political and social contexts will be discussed. Painting, sculpture, architecture, the artisanal works and printmaking will be discussed. Efforts will be made to examine the extent to which art reflects society, how imagery reflects the life and worldview of people in different periods. Different approaches to time and space at any given time will be discussed, changes in the symbolic image of the body, the status and social role of the artist, and the interactions of art and institutions of power. In connection with these issues, key works of each period will be taken for detailed interpretation and their distribution history discussed.
Methodology and Theory of Art History (LIS101G) is an introductory methods course. The concept of art will be discussed and students will be introduced to the historical foundation and development of art history, the theoretical grounds of art history as an independent subject, and its relation to other academic subjects. Key concepts, methodologies of art historical research and analysis, and some of the major theories that have shaped the practice of art history will be introduced. Students receive training in visual analysis and are introduced to some of the most important methodologies of art historical analysis, including formalism, iconography, and Marxist analysis. Emphasis is placed on the development of critical thinking and student's ability to analyse texts and images in a critical manner.
A survey of Icelandic art from 1860 to 1970. The course will look at the origins of Icelandic modern art, selected Icelandic artists and factors influencing the Icelandic art scene, influence from foreign art ideas and movements, attempts at definging "national" Icelandic art, government support and influence on the development of visual art, the tension between proponents of "national" art and "non-national" art as well as between "expressive"art and " conceptual" forms of art presentation, local art education and the characteristics of art critic as it appeared in the printed media. An attempt will be made to evaluate characteristics of Icelandic visual art in relation to foreign developments and changes in Icelandic society and history.
The main characteristics and historical development of Icelandic art in the last decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century will be examined in the light of Icelandic society and the context of foreign art development. Topics include SÚM's legacy in the seventies, the establishment of Gallerí Suðurgata 7 and the Living Art Museum, the characteristics of the Icelandic conceptual art and developmeent of contemporary media, such as photography, installation art, and performance art, the establishment of the Sculptors' Association in Reykjavík and the rise of three-dimensional art, media and more recently the overlap of art, film, and music. Emphasis will be made on approach of emerging artists to visual arts heritage at any given time, e.g. to natural heritage and “national” representation in art. The characteristics of critical art discussion, art education, participation in the Venice Biennale, the operation of galleries, and the establishment of contemporary exhibition groups will also be reviewed
A survey of the development of visual art from the upheaval of Modernism at the beginning of the 20th Century and through the major 20th century progressive movements up to 1960. The main principles, politics and characteristics of Modern art and its impact on later times will be clarified. The relationship between art and politics, philosophy, and societal development will be discussed and thought will be given to the radical reevaluation of the concept of aesthetics in art of the 20th century. How are changed perceptions of time and space reflected in art? How do the above-mentioned art movements disturb the people's general perceptions of the environment and reality? What is "inner" reality? Must art be visible? What is the deifference between visual language, the language we speak, and other forms of sign languege? International art exhibits shown in Iceland will be visited and tied into the course if possible.
In the course, the development of international contemporary visual art from 1970 and up until our times is reviewed. Using thematic premises contemporary art processes, main directions, movements, individuals and ideas which have characterised the period will be scrutinized. New modes of practice will be examined, with special focus on new modes of practice, environmental art and installation art, performance art; interactive digital media; experimental cineme and video art; conceptual art and photography as an artform. Visual art practice is also examined in the context og local and global issues, in terms of politics, economy and society.
A survey of Icelandic art from 1860 to 1970. The course will look at the origins of Icelandic modern art, selected Icelandic artists and factors influencing the Icelandic art scene, influence from foreign art ideas and movements, attempts at definging "national" Icelandic art, government support and influence on the development of visual art, the tension between proponents of "national" art and "non-national" art as well as between "expressive"art and " conceptual" forms of art presentation, local art education and the characteristics of art critic as it appeared in the printed media. An attempt will be made to evaluate characteristics of Icelandic visual art in relation to foreign developments and changes in Icelandic society and history.
The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/
Further information regading the Ba thesis in Art History can be found on the Canvas site.
See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544
The course aims to give a brief survey of selected topics in the philosophy of art; to introduce students to particular discussions, questions, theories and arguments in the philosophy of art through selected readings, both historical and contemporary; and to enable students to discuss topics related to aesthetics.
Contemporary academic and artist discourses are today bringing forth new narratives about the role that the esoteric, the spiritual, and the occult have played in the history of modern art and culture. What was once disavowed and pushed to the margins or dismissed as the “irrational” folly of dreamers and fools, esoteric ideas, beliefs, practices, and symbols have played an integral part in aesthetic modernism and modern culture in the 19th and 20th centuries, leading into the contemporary moment. The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to several core esoteric traditions and practices – such as theosophy, magic, alchemy, spiritism, new age spirituality, occulture, etc. - and examine how they interact and impact upon modern art theory and practice. As such, we will explore how art in this regard is not only a medium for the representation and expression of esoteric concepts, it also operates as a site for ritual and experiential occult praxis. Through key works, movements, and artists, the course will look at cultural history with an interdisciplinary gaze that allows for the presence of other art forms such as dance, music, and film.
The course provides an introduction to experimental film and film theory within the context of fine art. Various epochs and the critical responses that they provoked are defined and analysed. We look at different theoretical frameworks, such as Modernism, Humanism, Structuralism, Postmodernism, and the Anti-Aesthetic and make use of works by authors such as Kant, Nietzsche, Marx, Lacan, Bazin, Baudrillard, McLuhan and Jameson in order to analyse these. This theoretical framework provides a lens to interpret avant-garde cinema and fine art movements beginning with the emergence of expressionism. The course seeks to interpret the role of individualism via mass media as we explore various artists and filmmakers whose works are relevant in the context of this theoretical framework. Emphasis is placed on the viewing of time-based media that illustrate the various theories presented during the course, with a focus being on artists and filmmakers who have embraced these ideologies within their practice.
This course will consider performance art in light of global warming and the contemporary threat to the natural environment. What impact can performance art make in this context? How have artists considered and reacted to the consequences of human activities on the Earth and its ecosystem? The intertwinement of performance art and Land art in the sixties and seventies will be highlighted, and the link between art and political environmental movements discussed. We will examine how contemporary artists around the globe have used performance to shed light on the complex relation of human beings to the environment, the boundaries of human-made and natural environments and the impact of global warming on human societies, on animals and the Earth‘s ecosystem. The environmental movement‘s connections to feminist critiques and indigenous struggle around the globe will be discussed. The definition of performance will be examined and organic processes and nonhuman activities within art will be considered in light of contemporary radical philosophies.
Artists’ books by Icelandic and foreign artists from the 1960s until the present are the subject of this course. Some sixty years ago a movement of artists who focused on the production of books as artworks took form. They exchanged books by mail and in doing so created a transnational network to foster radical new ideas on art, society and culture. Some Icelandic artists were quick to embrace this new art form, thus laying the groundwork for a tradition that later generations of artists have used to disseminate their art and nurture communication with progressive artists around the world. In the course we will examine this important aspect of contemporary Icelandic art, and try to reveal the important role that artists’ books played in ending the isolation of Icelandic artists and allowing them to become active participants in the international avant-garde. Emphasis will also be placed on identifying the uniqueness of artists´ books, as well as the context of diverse media used by artists and the overlap with other art forms: poetry, music, the performing arts, etc. We will focus on researching the interplay of visual elements and text in artists´ books and the shift in perception that occurs when different art forms are placed together in a book. We work with various artists´ books, artists´ writing about their own work as well as theoretical context. Emphasis is placed on independent student practice, artistic creation and new research on artists’ books.
The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/
Further information regading the Ba thesis in Art History can be found on the Canvas site.
See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544
This course examines how contemporary artists respond to and reimagine futures shaped by white supremacy, the colonial legacy, and capitalist systems of power. Rather than treating the future as abstract or technological, we approach it as a site of struggle, a space where dominant power systems extend themselves, and where others imagine, rehearse, and refuse. Drawing from Co-futurism, Radical Futurism and decolonial thought, students engage with artistic practices that break from linear time and extractive logics. These include speculative aesthetics, science-fictional imaginaries and counter-archives. The course also approaches future-making as a healing and collective act, a practice of care, resistance, and relation. We will ask questions such as what futures are being designed for us? What aesthetic and political gestures might help us diverge from those scripts? Through readings, screenings, and studio practice, students will build their own research-based or practice-led projects. Emphasis will be placed on situated knowledge, unlearning, and creative experimentation. Students will critically engage with theories of the colonial present, temporality, and futurity, situating their own perspectives within both local and global contexts. Through artistic research and speculative practice, students will explore alternative world-making and aesthetic strategies that resist and reimagine dominant power structures. Students will develop and articulate their own artistic positions with critical awareness, openness, and social responsibility.
Interdisciplinary reseach on material culture has expanded considerably in the last decades. Although art historians have, in some sense, always studied materiality, material culture, collecting and provenance, art history as a field has had limited part in academic discourse within material culture studies on human relationships to objects. In this course students are afforded a valuable opportunity to consider deeply art objects and their „lives“ within and outside of institutions: their manufacture, use, exchange, exhibition, conservation, classification and definition, as well as the values and ideas attached to them. Each week students are presented with one object of study and receive training in various methods of researching, analyzing and interpreting art, through visual analysis, analysis of the material and make of objects, their categorization within the classification systems of museums and examination of provenance and exhibition history. Alongside this students will be introduced to theories of material culture studies and their intersection with the subjects and theories art history, such as insititutional critique and provenance. The course is run in collaboration with museums in the capital region of Iceland and is suitable for students of art history, visual art, history, archaeology, folkloristics and museum studies.
In this course, the intention is to look at the history of media art, focusing on the development that has taken place from the technological art of the sixties to the new media of today. Students are given an insight into the history of technological art and its relationship to modern art but the main focus is on the period after 1960 and the theories that then emerged about audience participation, interaction and interdisciplinary artistic practice. These concepts took on new meaning with the advent of new media after 1980, which called for new notions, such as interactivity, multimedia and network. The influence of history of technology media with the advent of the prefix “new” is looked at specifically in this context, in accordance with the focus art theory. Basic concepts in media art theory that students need to adopt are introduced, such as participation, interactivity, electronic, digital, new media, multimedia, virtual reality, telepresence, bio art, synesthesia and activism.
Artists’ self portraits are a varied category of images where the artist utilizes his own body as a reference. The making of such work has been a significant aspect of modern art from the renaissance to the contemporary age. They present a multitude of ways artists approach their subject matter, be it as a psychological self-research, the establishment of the artists’ status in society, allegories about the importance of art, or a critical approach to present-day events. In the course self portraits of Icelandic as well as foreign artists will be the focus of research in terms of the above-mentioned approaches. Thus a minor subgenre within the visual arts will be used to illuminate the context of art in general.
This course explores artworks in the context of gender and discusses the theoretical basis of gender studies and its trans-disciplinary nature. It seeks to explore how ideas on gender influence artistic practice and discussion and writing on the fine arts. The representations and meanings of gender in language, society and culture are also analyzed with an emphasis on stereotypes and/or their deconstruction in the positions artists take in their work. The approach taken by feminists and queer theory is used to explore the role of gender in the works of artists who bend stereotypical images of femininity and masculinity and create upheaval in the dominant discourse and gender systems of the Western world. Studies on gender inequality and its diverse representations in the contemporary art world are introduced and discussed.
Exhibition making is a complex process that affects and influences multiple aspects of artworks and representation. In the course students will get to know exhibition making from different points of view with a special emphasis on current methods and approaches. Different aspects of exhibition making will be addressed, students will work in groups as well as on individual assignments and though these get to know varied aspects of the process. In the course students are introduced to the concepts of curator and curation, theories on, and different kinds of, collaboration with artists and the context of space and theory in regards to exhibition making.
Research and practical know how in relation to exhibition making will be the main focus of the course. Students will contribute to an exhibition in public space, though research, conceptual work, selection of works, writing, making of a exhibition catalog, installing works to name a few aspect.
An interdisciplinary and introductory course entailing a dialogue between the academic fields of the department, i.e. comparative literature, film studies, gender studies, art studies, linguistics, cultural studies, sign language and interpreting studies and translation studies. The latest international developments in the field of humanities will be examined and questions asked about the relationship of academic studies and our world view(s). We will analyse the semiotic system of language, inquiring whether it can serve as the basis for our understanding of other semiotic systems. We will ask about the connection and relationship between different languages and linguistic worlds. What is "multiculture"? How are spoken language, written language and visual language interconnected within society? What constitutes cultural literacy? Literature, art, film and other visual material will be examined in both a national and international context, with a view to how these semiotic systems influence the borderlines of gender, race, class, nation, and different world cultures. The study materials include theoretical and critical writings, literary works, visual art and images, and films, as well as some current media coverage. Evaluation is based on four assignments and a written exam.
Discussion of various approaches to writing about literature and film (from research papers to reviews, polemical essays, and informal articles). Students will be trained in the various aspects of composition: locating and organizing material, using sources, building arguments, revising, and editing. This includes analyzing different critical discourses, as well as the implied reader and other relevant theoretical issues. This is a required course for students majoring in Comparative Literature and first-year students are urged to register for it.
What is known about the long lost medieval Icelandic church buildings? On what source material does the knowledge rest? What was the purpose of these buildings in their contemporanean society? Although there are no remaining medieval church buildings in Iceland, there is, substantial source material to base some knowledge about these churches. Several sites have been excavated and there is also some information in different types of written sources. Much of interior utensils and decoration has been preserved. The course aims at presenting what is known about medieval Icelandic churches and the society that built them and used them. The churches will be studied according to their rank in the church hierarchy: Cathedrals, monastic/larger churches and other types. The outer form will be presented as well as the importance of reuse of building material.
Performance Studies is the study of how humans create meaning and identity through shared activities ranging from traditional ritual and religion to storytelling and the arts as well as sports, stand-up comedy, festivals, masking traditions, civic ceremonies, political action and protest, dinner parties, and the virtual world. The course introduces students to theories about the wide range of semiotics involved in performance, from spoken text, to costume and appearance, expression and gesture, gender, social contexts, timing and use of space, as well as audience reception.
What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.
In this course, 19th and 20th century ideas that had fundamental effects on Western philosophy and intellectual history, will be examined. These are socially transformative ideas such as freedom, secularism, equality, resistance, the relation between the individual and society, ideas concerning existence and the soul, oppression, injustice, the national state and capitalism. Perhaps last but not least ideas about history, time and evolution of humanity and the planet.
Each week a new thinker or idea that transformed Western intellectual history is introduced and engaged with. Thinkers such as G.W.F. Hegel, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Rosa Luxembourg and Emma Goldman are analysed and influential isms such as phenomenology, neoliberalism or postructuralism. The aim is to read these thinkers and isms in accordance with the zeitgeist of the historical period they belong to (to the extent that we, people in the 21st century can “read” zeitgeists of older periods). At the same time the aim is to dig deep into original texts and to acquire multi-dimensional understanding of the ideas. Important part of the course is also to look at these themes in relation to the present times and the issues happening at the moment in Western societies and all around the globe.
The invention of cinema itself harks back to the tumultous area of technological change and social upheavals that brought about the revolutionary artistic movements of the first decades of the century, while the development of the medium of film is no less closely aligned with the process of globalization, dizzying forms of cultural change and rapid pace of technological progress that constitute the postmodern condition. Connections between the medium of film and postmodernism demarcate the central research questions addressed in the class. The class will examine the role of cinema in the development of the society of spectacle, paying attention to the suddenly troublesome and contested existence of the concept of „truth“ in postmodern times, nostalgia as a mode, the emergence of simulacra and the threat that notions of intertextuality and remediation pose to notions of originality and the „integrity“ of the work of art. Among films screened in the class will be Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1982), Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986), The Matrix (Wachowskis, 1999) and American Psycho (Harron, 2000). Among the scholars to be read in the class are Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard and Mark Fisher.
A historical overview of cinema from its emergence in the late 19th century to it contemporary role. The course will introduce students to influential film movements and styles from around the world, including Soviet Montage, French Impressionism, German Expressionism, classical Hollywood cinema, Italian Neorealism, Japanese Minimalism, the French New Wave, New German cinema, Third cinema, and Hong Kong action cinema. Diverse readings will provide a comprehensive overview supplementing screenings of key films. Particular emphasis will be placed on the aesthetic development of the film medium and its social and cultural relevance.
By focusing on folk tales, literature and other relevant sources, the course discusses the manifestations of nature and the supernatural in Icelandic narrative culture throughout the centuries. Students will learn about the significance, interface, and unclear boundaries of these phenomena and how they have shaped society and the environment as well. Students will thus get to know different ideas about the position of people and (other) animals within, above or "outside" of nature. Through diverse lectures and assignments, topics such as humanity vs. animality, the known world vs. other worlds, and materiality vs. the supernatural, will be discussed from critical points of view. The roles and forms of landscape, organisms, bodies, weather, and natural phenomena in the narrative culture will be explored. The latest research in this broad field will be presented, such as on the representation of earthquakes and celestial bodies, bears, whales, seals, and domestic animals, and on the supernatural creatures of nature and other mythological creatures such as fairies, ghosts, trolls, and berserks. Students will learn how story worlds and folklore have left their mark on the perception of nature, folk traditions, folk customs, and social spaces such as enchanted spots, sacred places and hunted places. We also ask how these narratives appear in folk art and visual art, from previous centuries to the present. Finally, we will explore the significance of nature narratives and the supernatural in the context of the Anthropocene, human perspectives, climate change, and the different statuses of social groups and species
The course provides a historical overview of film theory, with students reading a wide range of texts by important theorists and philosophers of cinema, and watching historically relevant films. It will cover the work of such pioneers as Sergei Eisenstein, Rudolf Arnheim, Siegfried Kracauer and André Bazin, before addressing major theoretical shifts beginning with structuralism in the 1960s, while also including Althusserian Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial theory and cultural studies. Screened films will emphasize the heterogeneity of film theory and provide fruitful ground for further discussions.
This course is an introduction to the study of the material culture of everyday life. Students will be get a good glimpse of this multidisciplinary field, with examples drawn from the past as well as the present, and with equal emphasis on the material culture of Iceland and that of other countries. The topics of study will range from clothes and fashion to foodways, from the objects in our daily surroundings to trash and hygiene, from crafts and consumer goods to houses, gardens and the home, and from urban landscapes to museums and exhibits. Along the way, students will gain familiarity with various theoretical concepts and approaches emphasizing for example the human body, gender, consumption, place and space.
An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.
Teaching form:
The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.
This course introduces students to some of the basic skills that they will use in the study of history. The special character of history and its relationship with other fields of study will be discussed. The students will be introduced to the sources and methods used in historical research and the writing and presenting of historical work. - Students must register for the course in the beginning of their history study (first or second semester, depending on whether they start in January or September).
This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through regular assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.
In the course the main works of Western art from the early renaissance to the early 19. century. Geographically, the focus is on works of art from Italy and Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany and England. Main methods and schools, academies and manifestations of art in religious, political and social contexts will be discussed. Painting, sculpture, architecture, the artisanal works and printmaking will be discussed. Efforts will be made to examine the extent to which art reflects society, how imagery reflects the life and worldview of people in different periods. Different approaches to time and space at any given time will be discussed, changes in the symbolic image of the body, the status and social role of the artist, and the interactions of art and institutions of power. In connection with these issues, key works of each period will be taken for detailed interpretation and their distribution history discussed.
Methodology and Theory of Art History (LIS101G) is an introductory methods course. The concept of art will be discussed and students will be introduced to the historical foundation and development of art history, the theoretical grounds of art history as an independent subject, and its relation to other academic subjects. Key concepts, methodologies of art historical research and analysis, and some of the major theories that have shaped the practice of art history will be introduced. Students receive training in visual analysis and are introduced to some of the most important methodologies of art historical analysis, including formalism, iconography, and Marxist analysis. Emphasis is placed on the development of critical thinking and student's ability to analyse texts and images in a critical manner.
A survey of Icelandic art from 1860 to 1970. The course will look at the origins of Icelandic modern art, selected Icelandic artists and factors influencing the Icelandic art scene, influence from foreign art ideas and movements, attempts at definging "national" Icelandic art, government support and influence on the development of visual art, the tension between proponents of "national" art and "non-national" art as well as between "expressive"art and " conceptual" forms of art presentation, local art education and the characteristics of art critic as it appeared in the printed media. An attempt will be made to evaluate characteristics of Icelandic visual art in relation to foreign developments and changes in Icelandic society and history.
The main characteristics and historical development of Icelandic art in the last decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century will be examined in the light of Icelandic society and the context of foreign art development. Topics include SÚM's legacy in the seventies, the establishment of Gallerí Suðurgata 7 and the Living Art Museum, the characteristics of the Icelandic conceptual art and developmeent of contemporary media, such as photography, installation art, and performance art, the establishment of the Sculptors' Association in Reykjavík and the rise of three-dimensional art, media and more recently the overlap of art, film, and music. Emphasis will be made on approach of emerging artists to visual arts heritage at any given time, e.g. to natural heritage and “national” representation in art. The characteristics of critical art discussion, art education, participation in the Venice Biennale, the operation of galleries, and the establishment of contemporary exhibition groups will also be reviewed
A survey of the development of visual art from the upheaval of Modernism at the beginning of the 20th Century and through the major 20th century progressive movements up to 1960. The main principles, politics and characteristics of Modern art and its impact on later times will be clarified. The relationship between art and politics, philosophy, and societal development will be discussed and thought will be given to the radical reevaluation of the concept of aesthetics in art of the 20th century. How are changed perceptions of time and space reflected in art? How do the above-mentioned art movements disturb the people's general perceptions of the environment and reality? What is "inner" reality? Must art be visible? What is the deifference between visual language, the language we speak, and other forms of sign languege? International art exhibits shown in Iceland will be visited and tied into the course if possible.
In the course, the development of international contemporary visual art from 1970 and up until our times is reviewed. Using thematic premises contemporary art processes, main directions, movements, individuals and ideas which have characterised the period will be scrutinized. New modes of practice will be examined, with special focus on new modes of practice, environmental art and installation art, performance art; interactive digital media; experimental cineme and video art; conceptual art and photography as an artform. Visual art practice is also examined in the context og local and global issues, in terms of politics, economy and society.
A survey of Icelandic art from 1860 to 1970. The course will look at the origins of Icelandic modern art, selected Icelandic artists and factors influencing the Icelandic art scene, influence from foreign art ideas and movements, attempts at definging "national" Icelandic art, government support and influence on the development of visual art, the tension between proponents of "national" art and "non-national" art as well as between "expressive"art and " conceptual" forms of art presentation, local art education and the characteristics of art critic as it appeared in the printed media. An attempt will be made to evaluate characteristics of Icelandic visual art in relation to foreign developments and changes in Icelandic society and history.
The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/
Further information regading the Ba thesis in Art History can be found on the Canvas site.
See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544
The course aims to give a brief survey of selected topics in the philosophy of art; to introduce students to particular discussions, questions, theories and arguments in the philosophy of art through selected readings, both historical and contemporary; and to enable students to discuss topics related to aesthetics.
Contemporary academic and artist discourses are today bringing forth new narratives about the role that the esoteric, the spiritual, and the occult have played in the history of modern art and culture. What was once disavowed and pushed to the margins or dismissed as the “irrational” folly of dreamers and fools, esoteric ideas, beliefs, practices, and symbols have played an integral part in aesthetic modernism and modern culture in the 19th and 20th centuries, leading into the contemporary moment. The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to several core esoteric traditions and practices – such as theosophy, magic, alchemy, spiritism, new age spirituality, occulture, etc. - and examine how they interact and impact upon modern art theory and practice. As such, we will explore how art in this regard is not only a medium for the representation and expression of esoteric concepts, it also operates as a site for ritual and experiential occult praxis. Through key works, movements, and artists, the course will look at cultural history with an interdisciplinary gaze that allows for the presence of other art forms such as dance, music, and film.
The course provides an introduction to experimental film and film theory within the context of fine art. Various epochs and the critical responses that they provoked are defined and analysed. We look at different theoretical frameworks, such as Modernism, Humanism, Structuralism, Postmodernism, and the Anti-Aesthetic and make use of works by authors such as Kant, Nietzsche, Marx, Lacan, Bazin, Baudrillard, McLuhan and Jameson in order to analyse these. This theoretical framework provides a lens to interpret avant-garde cinema and fine art movements beginning with the emergence of expressionism. The course seeks to interpret the role of individualism via mass media as we explore various artists and filmmakers whose works are relevant in the context of this theoretical framework. Emphasis is placed on the viewing of time-based media that illustrate the various theories presented during the course, with a focus being on artists and filmmakers who have embraced these ideologies within their practice.
This course will consider performance art in light of global warming and the contemporary threat to the natural environment. What impact can performance art make in this context? How have artists considered and reacted to the consequences of human activities on the Earth and its ecosystem? The intertwinement of performance art and Land art in the sixties and seventies will be highlighted, and the link between art and political environmental movements discussed. We will examine how contemporary artists around the globe have used performance to shed light on the complex relation of human beings to the environment, the boundaries of human-made and natural environments and the impact of global warming on human societies, on animals and the Earth‘s ecosystem. The environmental movement‘s connections to feminist critiques and indigenous struggle around the globe will be discussed. The definition of performance will be examined and organic processes and nonhuman activities within art will be considered in light of contemporary radical philosophies.
Artists’ books by Icelandic and foreign artists from the 1960s until the present are the subject of this course. Some sixty years ago a movement of artists who focused on the production of books as artworks took form. They exchanged books by mail and in doing so created a transnational network to foster radical new ideas on art, society and culture. Some Icelandic artists were quick to embrace this new art form, thus laying the groundwork for a tradition that later generations of artists have used to disseminate their art and nurture communication with progressive artists around the world. In the course we will examine this important aspect of contemporary Icelandic art, and try to reveal the important role that artists’ books played in ending the isolation of Icelandic artists and allowing them to become active participants in the international avant-garde. Emphasis will also be placed on identifying the uniqueness of artists´ books, as well as the context of diverse media used by artists and the overlap with other art forms: poetry, music, the performing arts, etc. We will focus on researching the interplay of visual elements and text in artists´ books and the shift in perception that occurs when different art forms are placed together in a book. We work with various artists´ books, artists´ writing about their own work as well as theoretical context. Emphasis is placed on independent student practice, artistic creation and new research on artists’ books.
The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/
Further information regading the Ba thesis in Art History can be found on the Canvas site.
See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544
This course examines how contemporary artists respond to and reimagine futures shaped by white supremacy, the colonial legacy, and capitalist systems of power. Rather than treating the future as abstract or technological, we approach it as a site of struggle, a space where dominant power systems extend themselves, and where others imagine, rehearse, and refuse. Drawing from Co-futurism, Radical Futurism and decolonial thought, students engage with artistic practices that break from linear time and extractive logics. These include speculative aesthetics, science-fictional imaginaries and counter-archives. The course also approaches future-making as a healing and collective act, a practice of care, resistance, and relation. We will ask questions such as what futures are being designed for us? What aesthetic and political gestures might help us diverge from those scripts? Through readings, screenings, and studio practice, students will build their own research-based or practice-led projects. Emphasis will be placed on situated knowledge, unlearning, and creative experimentation. Students will critically engage with theories of the colonial present, temporality, and futurity, situating their own perspectives within both local and global contexts. Through artistic research and speculative practice, students will explore alternative world-making and aesthetic strategies that resist and reimagine dominant power structures. Students will develop and articulate their own artistic positions with critical awareness, openness, and social responsibility.
Interdisciplinary reseach on material culture has expanded considerably in the last decades. Although art historians have, in some sense, always studied materiality, material culture, collecting and provenance, art history as a field has had limited part in academic discourse within material culture studies on human relationships to objects. In this course students are afforded a valuable opportunity to consider deeply art objects and their „lives“ within and outside of institutions: their manufacture, use, exchange, exhibition, conservation, classification and definition, as well as the values and ideas attached to them. Each week students are presented with one object of study and receive training in various methods of researching, analyzing and interpreting art, through visual analysis, analysis of the material and make of objects, their categorization within the classification systems of museums and examination of provenance and exhibition history. Alongside this students will be introduced to theories of material culture studies and their intersection with the subjects and theories art history, such as insititutional critique and provenance. The course is run in collaboration with museums in the capital region of Iceland and is suitable for students of art history, visual art, history, archaeology, folkloristics and museum studies.
In this course, the intention is to look at the history of media art, focusing on the development that has taken place from the technological art of the sixties to the new media of today. Students are given an insight into the history of technological art and its relationship to modern art but the main focus is on the period after 1960 and the theories that then emerged about audience participation, interaction and interdisciplinary artistic practice. These concepts took on new meaning with the advent of new media after 1980, which called for new notions, such as interactivity, multimedia and network. The influence of history of technology media with the advent of the prefix “new” is looked at specifically in this context, in accordance with the focus art theory. Basic concepts in media art theory that students need to adopt are introduced, such as participation, interactivity, electronic, digital, new media, multimedia, virtual reality, telepresence, bio art, synesthesia and activism.
Artists’ self portraits are a varied category of images where the artist utilizes his own body as a reference. The making of such work has been a significant aspect of modern art from the renaissance to the contemporary age. They present a multitude of ways artists approach their subject matter, be it as a psychological self-research, the establishment of the artists’ status in society, allegories about the importance of art, or a critical approach to present-day events. In the course self portraits of Icelandic as well as foreign artists will be the focus of research in terms of the above-mentioned approaches. Thus a minor subgenre within the visual arts will be used to illuminate the context of art in general.
This course explores artworks in the context of gender and discusses the theoretical basis of gender studies and its trans-disciplinary nature. It seeks to explore how ideas on gender influence artistic practice and discussion and writing on the fine arts. The representations and meanings of gender in language, society and culture are also analyzed with an emphasis on stereotypes and/or their deconstruction in the positions artists take in their work. The approach taken by feminists and queer theory is used to explore the role of gender in the works of artists who bend stereotypical images of femininity and masculinity and create upheaval in the dominant discourse and gender systems of the Western world. Studies on gender inequality and its diverse representations in the contemporary art world are introduced and discussed.
Exhibition making is a complex process that affects and influences multiple aspects of artworks and representation. In the course students will get to know exhibition making from different points of view with a special emphasis on current methods and approaches. Different aspects of exhibition making will be addressed, students will work in groups as well as on individual assignments and though these get to know varied aspects of the process. In the course students are introduced to the concepts of curator and curation, theories on, and different kinds of, collaboration with artists and the context of space and theory in regards to exhibition making.
Research and practical know how in relation to exhibition making will be the main focus of the course. Students will contribute to an exhibition in public space, though research, conceptual work, selection of works, writing, making of a exhibition catalog, installing works to name a few aspect.
An interdisciplinary and introductory course entailing a dialogue between the academic fields of the department, i.e. comparative literature, film studies, gender studies, art studies, linguistics, cultural studies, sign language and interpreting studies and translation studies. The latest international developments in the field of humanities will be examined and questions asked about the relationship of academic studies and our world view(s). We will analyse the semiotic system of language, inquiring whether it can serve as the basis for our understanding of other semiotic systems. We will ask about the connection and relationship between different languages and linguistic worlds. What is "multiculture"? How are spoken language, written language and visual language interconnected within society? What constitutes cultural literacy? Literature, art, film and other visual material will be examined in both a national and international context, with a view to how these semiotic systems influence the borderlines of gender, race, class, nation, and different world cultures. The study materials include theoretical and critical writings, literary works, visual art and images, and films, as well as some current media coverage. Evaluation is based on four assignments and a written exam.
Discussion of various approaches to writing about literature and film (from research papers to reviews, polemical essays, and informal articles). Students will be trained in the various aspects of composition: locating and organizing material, using sources, building arguments, revising, and editing. This includes analyzing different critical discourses, as well as the implied reader and other relevant theoretical issues. This is a required course for students majoring in Comparative Literature and first-year students are urged to register for it.
What is known about the long lost medieval Icelandic church buildings? On what source material does the knowledge rest? What was the purpose of these buildings in their contemporanean society? Although there are no remaining medieval church buildings in Iceland, there is, substantial source material to base some knowledge about these churches. Several sites have been excavated and there is also some information in different types of written sources. Much of interior utensils and decoration has been preserved. The course aims at presenting what is known about medieval Icelandic churches and the society that built them and used them. The churches will be studied according to their rank in the church hierarchy: Cathedrals, monastic/larger churches and other types. The outer form will be presented as well as the importance of reuse of building material.
Performance Studies is the study of how humans create meaning and identity through shared activities ranging from traditional ritual and religion to storytelling and the arts as well as sports, stand-up comedy, festivals, masking traditions, civic ceremonies, political action and protest, dinner parties, and the virtual world. The course introduces students to theories about the wide range of semiotics involved in performance, from spoken text, to costume and appearance, expression and gesture, gender, social contexts, timing and use of space, as well as audience reception.
What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.
In this course, 19th and 20th century ideas that had fundamental effects on Western philosophy and intellectual history, will be examined. These are socially transformative ideas such as freedom, secularism, equality, resistance, the relation between the individual and society, ideas concerning existence and the soul, oppression, injustice, the national state and capitalism. Perhaps last but not least ideas about history, time and evolution of humanity and the planet.
Each week a new thinker or idea that transformed Western intellectual history is introduced and engaged with. Thinkers such as G.W.F. Hegel, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Rosa Luxembourg and Emma Goldman are analysed and influential isms such as phenomenology, neoliberalism or postructuralism. The aim is to read these thinkers and isms in accordance with the zeitgeist of the historical period they belong to (to the extent that we, people in the 21st century can “read” zeitgeists of older periods). At the same time the aim is to dig deep into original texts and to acquire multi-dimensional understanding of the ideas. Important part of the course is also to look at these themes in relation to the present times and the issues happening at the moment in Western societies and all around the globe.
The invention of cinema itself harks back to the tumultous area of technological change and social upheavals that brought about the revolutionary artistic movements of the first decades of the century, while the development of the medium of film is no less closely aligned with the process of globalization, dizzying forms of cultural change and rapid pace of technological progress that constitute the postmodern condition. Connections between the medium of film and postmodernism demarcate the central research questions addressed in the class. The class will examine the role of cinema in the development of the society of spectacle, paying attention to the suddenly troublesome and contested existence of the concept of „truth“ in postmodern times, nostalgia as a mode, the emergence of simulacra and the threat that notions of intertextuality and remediation pose to notions of originality and the „integrity“ of the work of art. Among films screened in the class will be Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1982), Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986), The Matrix (Wachowskis, 1999) and American Psycho (Harron, 2000). Among the scholars to be read in the class are Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard and Mark Fisher.
A historical overview of cinema from its emergence in the late 19th century to it contemporary role. The course will introduce students to influential film movements and styles from around the world, including Soviet Montage, French Impressionism, German Expressionism, classical Hollywood cinema, Italian Neorealism, Japanese Minimalism, the French New Wave, New German cinema, Third cinema, and Hong Kong action cinema. Diverse readings will provide a comprehensive overview supplementing screenings of key films. Particular emphasis will be placed on the aesthetic development of the film medium and its social and cultural relevance.
By focusing on folk tales, literature and other relevant sources, the course discusses the manifestations of nature and the supernatural in Icelandic narrative culture throughout the centuries. Students will learn about the significance, interface, and unclear boundaries of these phenomena and how they have shaped society and the environment as well. Students will thus get to know different ideas about the position of people and (other) animals within, above or "outside" of nature. Through diverse lectures and assignments, topics such as humanity vs. animality, the known world vs. other worlds, and materiality vs. the supernatural, will be discussed from critical points of view. The roles and forms of landscape, organisms, bodies, weather, and natural phenomena in the narrative culture will be explored. The latest research in this broad field will be presented, such as on the representation of earthquakes and celestial bodies, bears, whales, seals, and domestic animals, and on the supernatural creatures of nature and other mythological creatures such as fairies, ghosts, trolls, and berserks. Students will learn how story worlds and folklore have left their mark on the perception of nature, folk traditions, folk customs, and social spaces such as enchanted spots, sacred places and hunted places. We also ask how these narratives appear in folk art and visual art, from previous centuries to the present. Finally, we will explore the significance of nature narratives and the supernatural in the context of the Anthropocene, human perspectives, climate change, and the different statuses of social groups and species
The course provides a historical overview of film theory, with students reading a wide range of texts by important theorists and philosophers of cinema, and watching historically relevant films. It will cover the work of such pioneers as Sergei Eisenstein, Rudolf Arnheim, Siegfried Kracauer and André Bazin, before addressing major theoretical shifts beginning with structuralism in the 1960s, while also including Althusserian Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial theory and cultural studies. Screened films will emphasize the heterogeneity of film theory and provide fruitful ground for further discussions.
This course is an introduction to the study of the material culture of everyday life. Students will be get a good glimpse of this multidisciplinary field, with examples drawn from the past as well as the present, and with equal emphasis on the material culture of Iceland and that of other countries. The topics of study will range from clothes and fashion to foodways, from the objects in our daily surroundings to trash and hygiene, from crafts and consumer goods to houses, gardens and the home, and from urban landscapes to museums and exhibits. Along the way, students will gain familiarity with various theoretical concepts and approaches emphasizing for example the human body, gender, consumption, place and space.
An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.
Teaching form:
The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.
The timetable shown below is for the current academic year and is FOR REFERENCE ONLY.
Changes may occur for the autumn semester in August and September and for the spring semester in December and January. You will find your final timetable in Ugla when the studies start.
Note! This timetable is not suitable for planning your work schedule if you are a part-time employee.
The University of Iceland collaborates with over 400 universities worldwide. This provides a unique opportunity to pursue part of your studies at an international university thus gaining added experience and fresh insight into your field of study.
Students generally have the opportunity to join an exchange programme, internship, or summer courses. However, exchanges are always subject to faculty approval.
Students have the opportunity to have courses evaluated as part of their studies at the University of Iceland, so their stay does not have to affect the duration of their studies.
A degree in art history and theory is especially valuable if you want to work in the arts, e.g. in museums, galleries and cultural institutions.
It would also be an asset if you want to work in cultural media (journalism, art criticism, programme making), i.e. producing specialised content on the arts for the media.
Graduates could also teach art history in compulsory or upper secondary schools and/or work in research in the field. Careers in international affairs also increasingly demand knowledge of the art and culture in different countries.
For those who aspire to a career in research or academia, the programme provides a solid foundation for graduate studies abroad.
To use the professional title of art historian, students should have completed at least an MA degree in art history and theory.
The organisation for art history students is called Artíma and plans a variety of social events, and also publishes an art magazine called Artímarit.
Most course are taken by a mixed group from UI and IUA and many events are organised jointly between the two universities
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