Visual Literacy: Understanding Images across Europe. Past and Present. - ADU100775
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Visual Literacy: Understanding Images across Europe. Past and Present
Language of instruction: English Class time: Thursday 17:30–19:00, Online Eligibility of admission: Admissible for students of Art History from Charles University only! Admission to the course is based on students’ submitted motivation letters (of maximum 500 words, in English). Send the motivation letters to zuzana.stefkova@ff.cuni.cz by October 12th 2025. Annotation: The aim of this one-year educational module is to explore the historical, social, cultural, and artistic conditions that have shaped — and continue to shape — the ways in which images are understood in Europe. Various aspects of pre-modern and contemporary visual culture will be examined from theoretical, historical, and practical perspectives, with particular attention to the mediality of art works and the viewpoints of artists, art critics, curators, and diverse audiences. Students will deepen their understanding of visual literacy, experiment with different visual conventions and media, and develop their own ideas into collaborative scientific-artistic projects The module consists of an online conversatory class, an online tutorial and in-person five day workshop, which will be held in Warsaw (April 2026). The costs of participation in the workshops will be financed from the project budget. Students can choose between six tutoring programs: 1) Multiplied Images: Artistic Practices in the Twentieth Century. The aim of this tutorial, led by prof. Giorgio Zanchetti and Davide Colombo, PhD, is to analyse different artistic practices in the twentieth century, which were based on appropriation, collage, photomontage, found footage and re-enactment. Heterogeneous and non-artistic images will be examined along with visual sources. The contamination of low and high models, as well as the circulation of contemporary art and artists’ iconic images in media and popular culture will also be addressed. 2) Visual literacy: Between Educational, Artistic and Curatorial Approaches. This is a tutorial conducted by Pavla Gajdošíková, PhD and Zuzana Štefková PhD, (Charles University), this tutorial focuses on contemporary art, art education, and curating as forms of dialogue and tools for fostering critical thinking. Students will investigate current trends, themes, and “turns” in the contemporary art field, using this research as a foundation to collaboratively develop their own curatorial projects, accompanied by educational activities in art mediation. The course also encourages students to engage in their own artistic practice to better understand the position and perspective of the artist. 3) Self-Portraits: Artistic Conventions, Meaning, Identity, and Functions from Early Modern through Modern to Contemporary. This tutorial, led by Monika Czekanowska-Gutman, PhD (University of Warsaw), introduces students to the development of self-portraits in pre-modern, modern, and contemporary visual culture, including painting, photography, graphic arts, and social media. Emphasis is placed on formal, iconographic, iconological, and semiotic methods of analysis, as well as on the cross-cultural reception of images across different traditions (Jewish, Christian, Arabic, and others). These approaches will equip students to analyze self-portraits critically in terms of how they construct identity, express psychological aspects of personality, and negotiate presence and absence, among other issues. 4) Materiality of Colour and Practices in Painters’ Workshops of the Late Middle Ages and Early Modernity. This tutorial, conducted by Karolina Mroziewicz, PhD (University of Warsaw), will explore the physical properties of colours, the economic and cultural value of pigments, their trade routes, and their application in 15th- and 16th-century painters’ workshops. Students will engage in hands-on experiments with paint production and reflect on the conditions that rendered the pre-modern colour palette legible, meaningful, and valuable to contemporary viewers. They will also experience first-hand the challenges and limitations of reconstructing late medieval and early modern paint recipes. 5) Printed Games and Interactive Objects in the 16th-17th Centuries. This tutorial, led by Magdalena Herman, PhD (University of Warsaw) explores interactions between players and games, focusing on the interactivity and materiality of card, board, and book games, as well as their roles as objects of play and display. It also examines the relationships between producers, games users and the market, as well as the depiction of games and gameplay, and their role in Early Modern iconography. In addition to exploring the key aspects of visual culture and visual literacy, each of the five tutorials will provide students with opportunities to experiment with the potential of both material and digital images in developing and communicating ideas. These sessions aim to foster critical thinking through hands-on investigation, discussion-based learning, and inquiry-driven exploration. Apart from tutorials, students will participate in seminar-style classes that offer a broad overview of theoretical approaches and case studies. These sessions will illuminate various historical, social, cultural, and artistic dimensions of visual literacy and visual culture, aligning with the core themes addressed in the tutorials. The course will also include a five-day field workshop in Warsaw (April 2026). This workshop will offer a dynamic setting for developing group project ideas through direct engagement with artworks and meaningful dialogue with peers, instructors, and curators. The program will also feature study visits and guided tours at Warsaw’s most prominent art institutions. Teaching methods: Seminar-style discussions; working with texts and images – presentations; close reading; group work, conversations and discussions on topics presented by participants; historical remaking; conceptual development and implementation of an artistic-scientific project – research task. Course requirements: The module is designed to encourage active student engagement, emphasizing the importance of collaborative learning and the co-construction of knowledge. At the end of the semester, students will reflect on their own development through an individual self-assessment. The primary outcome of the module will be group-based scientific-artistic projects, accompanied by portfolios documenting the creative and research process. These components will form the basis of student evaluation. Each student’s final grade will be determined as follows: 1. Active participation in group discussions and workshops – 25% 2. Progress demonstrated in the self-assessment – 25% 3. Final group project – 30% 4. Individual portfolio – 20% Students are allowed up to two unexcused absences per semester. Any missed work must be made up through arrangements with the respective teachers. Literature: Baylen, D. & D'Alba, A. eds. (2015). Essentials of Teaching and Integrating Visual and Media Literacy: Visualizing Learning. Cham: Springer. Berger, J. (2008). Ways of seeing. British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin. London (and earlier editions). Burke, B. (1978). Popular culture in early modern Europe. New York: Harper & Row. Clapp, J.A. (2005). ‘”Are You Talking to Me?” New York and the Cinema of Urban Alienation’. Visual Anthropology, Vol. 18, No. Cordell, D. (2016). Using images to teach critical thinking skills: visual literacy and digital photography. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. Elkins, J., ed. (2008). Visual literacy. New York; London: Routledge. Elkins, J. (2003). Visual studies: A skeptical introduction. New York; London: Routledge. Gombrich, E. (1999). The Uses of Images. Studies in the Social Function of Art and Visual Communication. London: Phaidon. Gombrich, E. (1982). The Image and the Eye: Further Studies in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation. Oxford: Phaidon. Gombrich, E. (1979). Ideals & Idols. Essays on Values in History and Art. Oxford: Phaidon. Gombrich, E. (1960). Art and Illusion. A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation. London: Phaidon. Heywood, I. & Sandywell, B. eds. (1999). Interpreting Visual Culture: Explorations in the hermeneutics of the visual. London and New York: Routledge. Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. London: Prentice-Hall. Kress, G. (2010). Multimodality: A social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. New York, NY: Routledge. Neumüller, M., ed. (2018). The Routledge companion to photography and visual culture. New York; London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Smith, M. (2008). Visual culture studies. Los Angeles, Calif.; London: Sage. The bibliography includes only a general reading list. All readings and visual materials required for the particular class will be emailed to students in advance. Last update: Štefková Zuzana, Mgr., Ph.D. (23.09.2025)
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