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Contemporary Art Techniques

Code: 100569
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Art History OP 3
Art History OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Silvia Roses Castellsaguer
Email :
silvia.roses@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for taking the course.

Objectives

The aim of this course is to provide a critical understanding of the history of fashion from an interdisciplinary perspective, examining its evolution in relation to major artistic movements, design, and the social, economic, political, and technological changes that have shaped it, as well as the transformations of systems of production and consumption. Through the study of garments, designers, objects, and material cultures, students will acquire the conceptual and methodological tools needed to interpret fashion as a complex cultural phenomenon capable of constructing identities, conveying values, reflecting power relations, and fostering innovation in the field of design.

Learning outcomes

  1. Applying the iconographic knowledge to the reading of artistic imagery.
  2. Analysing ideas about an artistic phenomenon in a given cultural context.
  3. Analysing the creators of an artistic phenomenon in a specific cultural context.
  4. Analysing the recipients of an artistic phenomenon in a specific cultural context.
  5. Interpreting and communicating the contents of a text about theory of art and cinema.
  6. Critically analysing basic concepts of artistic and cinematographic theory and its evolution through history.
  7. Interpreting the fundamental concepts of Theory of Art with a critical eye.
  8. Analysing classical and current debates of the History of Art.
  9. Summarising acquired knowledge about the origin and transformations experienced by the general Theory of Art and the various fields of study of the discipline.
  10. Using the knowledge of general Art Theory in the criticism of the artistic imagery.
  11. Analysing ideas about an artistic phenomenon, and its creators and recipients in a given cultural context.
  12. Differentiating artistic theories about an artistic phenomenon, its creators and recipients in a given cultural context.
  13. Applying the knowledge about aesthetic ideas and Art Theory to the analysis of the artistic imagery.
  14. Demonstrating the knowledge of scientific methodology, sources and Art Theory in the reading, criticism and formal, iconographic and symbolic interpretation of any artistic or cinematographic imagery.
  15. Engaging in debates about historical facts respecting the other participants' opinions.
  16. Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
  17. Coordinating working teams, developing conflict resolution and decision making abilities.

Contents

Course Contents


  • Introduction. What Is Fashion History?
  • Fashion as a Cultural Phenomenon
  • Historiography and Methodologies
  • Fashion, Dress, Clothing, and Design
  • Modernity and the Birth of the Fashion System (1900–1918)
  • The Belle Époque
  • Haute Couture
  • Paul Poiret and Dress Reform
  • Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, and the Wiener Werkstätte
  • Modernity, Avant-Gardes, and Emancipation (1918–1929)
  • The New Role of Women
  • Art Deco and Functionalism
  • Coco Chanel
  • Madeleine Vionnet
  • Elsa Schiaparelli
  • Fashion and the Artistic Avant-Gardes
  • Fashion, Propaganda, and Crisis (1930–1945)
  • The Great Depression
  • Hollywood Glamour
  • Fascism and the Construction of the Body
  • The Second World War
  • Rationing and Utility Clothing
  • Reconstruction and Consumer Society (1945–1960)
  • The New Look
  • The Consolidation of Ready-to-Wear
  • Industrial Design
  • Fashion, Advertising, and Consumer Culture
  • Youth Reinvents Fashion (1960–1975)
  • Swinging London
  • The Miniskirt
  • Pop Culture
  • Counterculture
  • Unisex Fashion and the Sexual Revolution
  • Plurality of Styles and Globalization (1975–1990)
  • Punk
  • Glam
  • Power Dressing
  • Japanese Fashion
  • Italian Luxury
  • Streetwear
  • Fashion as Spectacle (1980–2000)
  • Supermodels
  • The Rise of the Creative Director
  • Fashion Shows as Spectacle
  • The Globalization of Luxury
  • The Emergence of Major Luxury Conglomerates
  • Fashion Heritage, Museums, and Exhibitions
  • Fashion in Museums
  • Textile Conservation
  • Fashion Exhibitions and Curatorial Narratives
  • Conclusions. Challenges of Contemporary Fashion
  • Fast Fashion
  • Sustainability
  • Digitalization
  • New Consumption Models


Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Seminar lectures 50 2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Tutoring sessions 20 0.8 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Writing papers, reviews, text commentaries, etc. 40 1.6 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Bibliographic and documentary search 40 1.6 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Lectures

Debates

Participatory classroom activities

Analysis of artworks and texts

Supervised tutorials

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Writing exam 30% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
group work 30 % 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Prova escrita 30 % 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Participation and involvement in classroom activities 10 % 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17


The course assessment will consist of:

  • Two written examinations, one held midway through the course and the other at the end of the course (30% + 30%).
  • One group project (30%).
  • Participation in classroom activities (10%).


Bibliography

1. Història de la moda

  • Breward, C. (2003). Fashion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • DeJean, J. (2008). La esencia del estilo. Cómo los franceses inventaron la alta costura, la gastronomía, los cafés, el estilo, la sofisticación y el glamour. Madrid: Nerea.
  • Loschek, I. (2009). Cuando la moda es un arte. 100 años de creación. Barcelona: Könemann.
  • Mendes, V., & de la Haye, A. (2010). Fashion since 1900 (2nd ed.). Londres: Thames & Hudson.
  • Riello, G. (2016). Breve historia de la moda. Desde la Edad Media hasta la actualidad. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili.
  • Seeling, C. (2012). Moda. El siglo de los diseñadores 1900–1999. Colònia: Taschen.


2. Teoria, sociologia i cultura de la moda

  • Barthes, R. (2003). El sistema de la moda y otros escritos. Barcelona: Paidós.
  • Calefato, P. (2007). El sentido del vestir. València: Engloba Edición.
  • Entwistle, J. (2002). El cuerpo y la moda. Una visión sociológica. Barcelona: Paidós.
  • Kawamura, Y. (2005). Fashion-ology: An Introduction to Fashion Studies. Oxford: Berg.
  • Lipovetsky, G. (1990). El imperio de lo efímero. La moda y su destino en las sociedades modernas. Barcelona: Anagrama.
  • Lurie, A. (1994). El lenguaje de la moda. Barcelona: Paidós.
  • Svendsen, L. (2006). Filosofía de la moda. Barcelona: Tusquets.
  • Wilson, E. (2003). Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity (2nd ed.). Londres: I.B. Tauris.


3. Moda, luxe i sistema de la moda

  • Steele, V. (1985). Fashion and Eroticism: Ideals of Feminine Beauty from the Victorian Era to the Jazz Age. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Thomas, D. (2023). Deluxe. De cómo el lujo perdió su esplendor. Barcelona: Editorial Superflua.


4. Història del disseny i cultura material

  • Dormer, P. (1993). El diseño desde 1945. Barcelona: Destino.
  • Fiell, C., & Fiell, P. (2014). Diseño del siglo XX. Colònia: Taschen.
  • Heskett, J. (2005). El diseño en la vida cotidiana. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili.
  • Torrent, R., & Marín, J. M. (2005). Historia del diseño industrial. Madrid: Cátedra.


Software

If a specific software is necessary we will inform the student.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed