Jnanapravaha (Mumbai) Art, Criticism and Theory (ACT) 2015-16 Session Day/Date Session title and details Resource scholar 2014 July 1 Tue 28 Introduction to the course; Orientation to the subject and pedagogic method 2 Wed 29 Reading the Visual/Ways of engaging with the visual-picture; Reading Foucault on Velazques s Las Meninas August 3 4 Tue 4 Wed 5 Debates and developments in Aesthetics (Western/European experience) 5 Tue 11 Debates and developments in Aesthetics (The idea of the Modern) 6 Wed 12 Debates and developments in Aesthetics (Modern art in India understanding the scope) 7 Tue 18 What is Art Criticism? 8 Wed 19 A discussion on the practice of criticism, and its role in the field of art; 9 Tue 25 Art History I: The Heaven of Ideas, the Floor of the Studio: From Plotinus and Longinus to Vasari and Van Mander 10 Wed 26 Art History II: Ideas, Ideals and Practices: From Winckelmann, Hegel, Kant, Goethe and Schiller to Burckhardt, Riegl, William Morris and Wölfflin September Mortimer Chatterjee Nancy Adajania 11 Tue 1 Seminar 1: Rashmi Poddar 12 Wed 2 Masterpieces (as Image and Meaning) Alka Hingorani 13 Thu 3 Sudhir Patwardhan
14 Tue 8 Critical theory in the Humanities and Cultural Studies 15 Wed 9 Literary Theory: its role within production of knowledge and criticism 16 Tue 15 Reading the Visual/Ways of engaging with the visual-picture; Reading Freud on Michelangelo s Moses Mitra Mukherjee- Parikh 17 Wed 16 Making meaning: Art and Agency Nancy Adajania 18 Tue 22 The Art World and Its Institutions: The 19 Wed 23 Transition from Formality to Sociality: From the Studio-Academy-Salon- Museum to the Residency-Social Project-Collaboration-Biennial 20 21 Tue 29 Wed 30 Workshop: Editorial/Curatorial towards a critical discourse (stage 01 introduction and preliminary research) October 22 23 Tue 6 Wed 7 Post-colonial Studies: An introduction to its history and processes 24 Tue 13 25 Wed 14 26 Tue 20 Concept 01: Space and Memory 27 Wed 21 Concept 02: Life of an Image 28 Tue 27 Concept 03: Symbolism (and Message) 29 Wed 28 Concept 04: Beauty November 30 Tue 3 Concept 05: Memory 31 Wed 4 Workshop: Editorial/Curatorial towards a critical discourse (stage 02 theme finalisation) Rohit Goel Imran Ali Khan Madhusree D Mitra Mukherjee- Parikh Ranjit H, Jitish K & Kaiwan M Shobha Ghosh
Tue 10 DIWALI Break Wed 11 32 Tue 17 Concept 05 (A): The narrative and the visual 33 Wed 18 Concept 05 (B): The narrative and the text Hena Kapadia Imran Ali Khan 34 Tue 24 Key ideas in the history of Philosophy: 35 Wed 25 A discussion in relation to art and aesthetics part 01 December 36 37 Tue 1 Wed 2 Key ideas in the history of Philosophy: A discussion in relation to art and aesthetics part 02 38 Tue 8 Framing an approach 01: Viewing the world in everyday 39 Wed 9 Framing an approach 02: Performance Art 40 Mon 14 to Seminar 2: 41 Fri 18 The Body in Indian art and history 42 43 44 Tue 22 to Semester Break Wed 30 2016 January 45 46 Tue 5 Wed 6 Seminar 4: Islamic Aesthetics 1 47 Thu 7 48 Tue 12 Seminar 5: 49 Wed 13 Islamic Aesthetics 2 50 Thu 14 51 Tue 19 Framing an approach 03: Video Art 52 Wed 20 Framing an approach 04: Writing on art Shaina Anand Sahej Rahal Naman Ahuja With reading assignments Barry Flood Barry Flood Ashok Sukumaran Gieve Patel
53 54 Tue 26 Wed 27 Framing an approach 05 (A): Curating its practice, history and role 55 Thu 28 Framing an approach 05 (B): Curating as method and structure February 56 57 Tue 2 Wed 3 Framing an approach 06: Texts as research material 58 Tue 9 Ideas and thinkers 01: (Ref: Practices of writing and commentaries within Sanskritic traditions) 59 Wed 10 Workshop: Editorial/Curatorial towards a critical discourse (stage 03 research review) 60 Tue 16 Ideas and thinkers 02: 61 Wed 17 (Ref: Nagarjuna and Buddhist philosophic traditions) 62 Tue 23 Ideas and thinkers 03, 04: (Ref: John Ruskin / Adolf Loos) (Ref: A K Coomaraswamy / E B Havell) 63 Wed 24 Ideas and thinkers 05: (Ref: Adorno) March 64 Tue 1 Ideas and thinkers 06: (Ref: Benjamin) 65 Wed 2 Seminar 06: 66 Tue 8 Structuralism and Post-structuralism 67 Wed 9 its history and methods 68 Tue 15 69 Wed 16 70 Tue 22 Ideas and thinkers 10, 11: 71 Wed 23 (Ref: Gandhi, Ambedkar / India 20C) 72 Tue 29 Production of Knowledge: Gender Studies its history and methods 73 Wed 30 Production of Knowledge: Subaltern Studies its history and methods Jitish Kallat Anita Vachharajani Rashmi Poddar Supriya Rai Rohit Goel
April 74 Tue 5 Ideas and thinkers 12: Nancy Adajania (Ref: Artistic practices in contemporary India) 75 Wed 6 Production of Knowledge: Siddharth Bhatia Culture and Aesthetics 76 Tue 12 Exhibiting art notes from a show Mortimer Chatterjee 77 Wed 13 Exhibiting art idea of a show Ruchita Madhok 78 Thu 14 Exhibiting art notes from a show Sudhir Patwardhan 79 Tue 19 Workshop: Editorial/Curatorial 80 Wed 20 81 Thu 21 towards a critical discourse (stage 04 final production and review) *Reference key to course structure organisation: TRODUCTION TO FRAMES and MEODS: What does it mean to engage with art and writing (discourse) on art? How is this engagement structured through texts and organization of thoughts? FOUNDATIONAL FIELDS: Introduction to foundational fields and subjects like Art History, Criticism and Theory and questions related to their histories and practice CONCEPTS AND DISCOURSE: A select set of concepts that will allow for a discussion on how we think about a concept, its philosophical and material (within artistic practices) understanding and its presence/existence within a cultural milieu / discourse KG AND EORY: Visiting the writings and lives of certain thinkers, and understand the production of knowledge and cultures of thinking they engaged with / contributed to / generated and how it connects with our modes of working and thinking today PRACTICE AND PROCESS: Formulating a discourse through works of art modes, methodologies and practices Note: The clusters of sessions and cluster-titles are indicative and notional, and not strict brackets or subject-heads [June 4, 2015]