Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

Art History A-level

Does anyone here do A-level Art History? What is it like? I'm currently in Year 11 and want to do chem, biology and physics at a-level but I'm not sure what to do for my fourth subject.

Stuff like psychology, geography, business studies etc doesn't interest me at all and I don't want to do maths on its own (I'll have enough of it when I do chemistry and physics haha). However I am passionate about art and history together and on their own in addition to my sciences and wonder how much time it might consume considering my above choices. I already know quite a fair deal about the subject, in particular Renaissance art, 20th century architecure, Impressionist/post-impressionist artists and more

Ideally I would want to self-teach myself using the AQA exam board since my school does not offer it (and occasionally pester art teachers to mark my essays...) and use Gombrich's The Story of Art as one of my study resources.

Will it be worth it? Or should I do History on its own instead?

Reply 1

tlsmith1

Hi there

I currently study History of Art A2 on AQA, and I am also really passionate about the subject- AS year you cover visual analysis and how to analyse painting, sculpture and architecture in detailed and interesting ways as well as learning about key themes in Art:
- Form and Function
- Form and Style
- Historical and Social Context
- Subjects and Genres
- Materials, techniques and processes
- Gender,ethnicity and nationality
- Social & Cultural Status

In A2, Depending on what periods of art you choose, you will have 2 Units just like AS, which each focus on a specific time period in art. I am currently studying Art and Architecture in 17th century Europe for my Unit 3, and Art and Architecture in Europe and the United States of America between 1900 and 1945 for my Unit 4, which I am loving! I plan to study Art History at University and only have been studying it for 2 years. Your second year does require a lot more knowledge of historical context and background on artworks I have learnt so its good you already hold an interest generally for History.

Grombrich is a really good book and study source and most Universities also use it as a research source, so you're definitely on the right track! In terms of fitting the course in with your other subjects, I wouldn't know as I study English Lit and Drama (completely different).

If you LOVE art generally then this is definitely the subject for you, but if not I would re-evaluate your decision as it does require an enjoyment and passion for the subject.

Reply 2

mark36

Thank you for the response, tlsmith1! :smile:

I'm less concerned about getting "bored" of it or losing passion (that's definitely not gonna happen!) but more about my school not letting me study independently (despite being predicted A/A*s for all my GCSEs...) I already have many books on art history and techniques (such as "How to Draw" by Jose M. Parramon - a fantastic guy!!!)

Sorry for the overload of questions, but it all sounds very interesting and very much like my thing :biggrin:

- What were the exams like?
- Do you self-teach or does your school offer it as a subject?
- How many hours on average do you spend learning/revising it per week?

Thanks for all the info! Good luck in your exams :h:

Art History A-level

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you