This course offers a technicolour history of art. It focus on the history of colour in art, visual, and material culture, and addresses the importance of colour in science, religion, and politics. Attention is paid to the nature of artists' materials, and how these materials have shifted over time in response to new colour technologies. It addresses the relationship of colour production to environmental degradation and pollution. A major theme will be the vexed relationship of pigment to race, racial politics, and colonialism. Topics for examination include: colour versus line; pigment, materiality and new colour technologies; whiteness, blackness and the racialisation of skin, hair and eye colour; colour symbolism; from black and white to colour in print, photography and film; florescence and transparency; colourful landscapes; abstraction; gold, greyscale, and the rainbow.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- demonstrate a critical understanding of the central role of colour in art, art history, visual and material culture studies;
- think critically about the relationship of pigment to politics;
- assume a transdisciplinary approach to understand colour across art, science, and technology; and
- engage with theoretical approaches which foreground materiality, environmentalism, critical race studies, and colonialism.
Indicative Assessment
- Colour Biography (1000 words) (25) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Book, Exhibition or Film Review (1000 words) (25) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Research Essay (3000 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Refer to Wattle
Preliminary Reading
Refer to Wattle
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8323 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | In Person | N/A |