BA (Hons) Fine Art and Art History

Do you enjoy analysing art as well as creating it? Want to understand and develop your own work in the context of what’s gone before? As the boundaries between art history and practice blur and merge, this course prepares you for a career in the real world of the arts. Master the skills needed to analyse, critique and write about visual art. Travel to major European cities to see art in context. And harness your new knowledge to feed and improve your own work.You will prepare for a successful career with an internship. You will expand your horizons with the option of three months of study at a European art school, and enhance your understanding of art history and the cultural context of your own work with visiting lecturers and field trips to museums and galleries throughout the UK, plus a fieldtrip to a major European city. Students in previous years travelled to Rome, Vienna, Berlin, Florence, Paris and New York City.Realise your artistic potential. Guided by practising artists, you’ll develop creative approaches to making artwork, through opportunities to explore different techniques and technologies in dedicated fine art studios and specialist workshops. You will expand your art practice through a vibrant mix of studio work, and creative and critical thinking, which will deepen your understanding and refine your skills, to enable you to contribute to the expanding field of contemporary fine art.* Benefit from our forward-thinking, focused research. In the last national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) ‘Art and Design: History, Theory and Practice’ at Plymouth scored 100 per cent for its ‘world-leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’ research environment, and 90 per cent for the international impact of its research case studies. This makes our unit a top five performer among the University of Plymouth’s research groups overall.* Prepare for a successful career with an internship. Thanks to the flexibility of the course, you can do it during term time or over the summer – whatever suits you. Our students have recently interned at Tate Britain, Sotheby’s, the National Trust, Plymouth Arts Centre, the Arts Institute and the Wallace Collection.* Enhance your understanding of art history and the cultural context of your own work with visiting lecturers and field trips to museums and galleries throughout the UK, plus a fieldtrip to a major European city. Students in previous years travelled to Rome, Vienna, Berlin, Florence, Paris and New York City. Field trips in 2016 will include Washington, DC.* Hone your existing talents and discover new ones with your own, dedicated studio space, as well as specialist shared spaces and facilities for textiles, metal and woodworking, plasterwork and ceramics workshops and life drawing classes.* Explore the best way to express yourself, try drawing, video and sound, painting, printmaking, photography, performance and sculpture, to find the medium that's right for you.* Discover the possibilities of technology with fully equipped print and photo facilities, computers, audio-visual equipment, sound studio resources and expert technicians to support and guide you in your exploration.* In 2016, 100 per cent of students agreed staff were good at explaining things; 100 per cent agreed staff made the subject interesting; 100 per cent students agreed they have sufficient advice and support and 100 per cent were satisfied overall (source: 2016 NSS results available on Unistats*).