History of Art

Code: ΥΠ 121

Semester: 1

ECTS: 5

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course introduces students to the history of art from antiquity to the contemporary period through visual literacy practices. Its fundamental premise is that images are not merely aesthetic objects but also carriers of social values, ideologies, forms of power, religious beliefs, and cultural identities.

Students become familiar with methods of observing, describing, and interpreting images through the study of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, cinema, and digital media. At the same time, they explore the relationship between form and content, as well as how images both construct and reflect social realities.

The course combines visual observation and analysis with social, historical, and cultural interpretation, contributing to the development of critical thinking and skills for reading contemporary visual culture in relation to historical contexts.

SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Burke, Peter. Eyewitnessing: The Uses of Images as Historical Evidence. Athens: Metaichmio, 2003 (Greek translation).
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Athens: Metaichmio, 2011 (Greek edition).
Gombrich, Ernst. The Story of Art. Athens: MIET, 1994 (Greek edition).
Daskalothanasis, Nikos. Art History: The Western World from Prehistory to the Present Day. Athens: Utopia, 2023.
Petridou, Vasiliki & Olga Zirou. Arts and Architecture from the Renaissance to the 21st Century. Athens: Kallipos, 2015.
Janson, H. W. & Anthony F. Janson. History of Art: The Western Tradition. Athens: Ion, 2011 (Greek edition).
Bell, Julian. Mirror of the World: A New History of Art. Athens: Metaichmio, 2009 (Greek edition).
Charalambidis, Alkis. Twentieth-Century Art (2nd revised edition). Thessaloniki: University Studio Press, 2018.

Course Syllabus