Modern Chinese Art and Visual Culture

Undergraduate | 2026

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Mode icon
Mode
Mode
Your studies will be on-campus, and may include some online delivery
On campus
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Area/Catalogue
VISU 1016
Course ID icon
Course ID
208213
Campus icon
Campus
Adelaide City Campus
Level of study
Level of study
Undergraduate
Unit value icon
Unit value
6
Course owner
Course owner
Adelaide University
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Course level
1
Work Integrated Learning course
Work Integrated Learning course
No
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Inbound study abroad and exchange
Inbound study abroad and exchange
The fee you pay will depend on the number and type of courses you study.
No
University-wide elective icon
University-wide elective course
No
Single course enrollment
Single course enrolment
No

Course overview

Art and visual culture in China during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries are remarkable for their vibrancy and visual complexity, reflecting dramatic political and cultural change. In this course we will examine the traditions of brush-and-ink painting, oil painting and photography beginning with the decline and fall of the Manchu-Qing dynasty and ending with globalised contemporary practice. The course explores art and photography in the context of scholarly communion and exchange; personal and artistic expression; portraiture and commemoration; media, propaganda and education. Consideration will be given to techniques and approaches suggesting deep continuities and ongoing transformations, the relationship between painting and photography, and questions of realism, truth and the spirit. The examination of recent artistic and documentary works by leading practitioners will highlight a society that continues to experience significant change.

Prerequisite(s)

N/A

Corequisite(s)

N/A

Antirequisite(s)

  • must not have completed ARTH2001 Modern Chinese Art and Visual Culture at the University of Adelaide

Assumed knowledge

N/A

Textbook(s)

N/A

Inherent requirements

N/A

Other resources

N/A

Assessment

N/A

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The Student Contribution amount displayed below is for students commencing a new program from 2021 onwards. If you are continuing in a program you commenced prior to 1 January 2021, or are commencing an Honours degree relating to an undergraduate degree you commenced prior to 1 January 2021, you may be charged a different Student Contribution amount from the amount displayed below. Please check the Student Contribution bands for continuing students here. If you are an international student, or a domestic student studying in a full fee paying place, and are continuing study that you commenced in 2025 or earlier, your fees will be available here before enrolments open for 2026.