91288

ARTH 101 Perspectives in World Art

Diana Minsky

M . W . .

3:10 -4:30 pm

OLIN 102

AART

Perspectives in World Art introduces the diversity of the visual arts worldwide over the course of two semesters. Students may take either semester or both. The first semester examines painting, sculpture, architecture, and other artifacts from the Paleolithic period through the 14^th century. Works from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas are studied chronologically to create an integrated historical context. Readings from various critical perspectives present different methodological approaches. Requirements include two papers, a mid-term, a final, and quizzes. This course fulfills one requirement for moderating into Art History; potential majors are urged to take Perspectives prior to other Art History classes. Open to all students.

91290

ARTH 113 History of Photography

Laurie Dahlberg

. T . Th .

8:30 -9:50 am

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Cross-listed: STS The discovery of photography was announced in 1839, almost simultaneously by several inventors. Born of experiments in art and science, the medium combines vision and technology. It possesses a uniquely intimate relation to reality and for this reason has many applications outside the realm of fine art; nevertheless, from its inception photography has been a vehicle for artistic aspirations. This survey of the history of photography from its earliest manifestations to the 1970s considers the medium’s applications – as art, science, historical record, and document. This course is open to all students and is the prerequisite for most other courses in the history of photography.

91289

ARTH 130 Introduction to Visual Culture

Julia Rosenbaum

. T . Th .

11:50 -1:10 pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

This course teaches students how to look at, think about, and describe works of art. It constitutes an introduction to the discipline of art history and to visual material more broadly defined. The course explores the uses of different genres and media and considers different interpretative approaches to visual material.  The art of writing about art is also a focus. Coursework includes first-hand observation of works of art, short writing assignments, and a final project. This course is designed for anyone with an interest in, but no formal work, in art history. Preference will be given to   prospective majors
and first year and arts division students.  Limited to 15 students.

91286

ARTH 140 Survey of Islamic Art

Susan Aberth

M . W . .

1:30 -2:50 pm

CAMPUS WEIS

AART/DIFF

Cross-listed: Africana Studies, MES. This course offers an introduction to the widespread visual production created throughout history in the Islamic world. In addition to architecture and architectural ornamentation, the course will also look at pottery, metalwork, textile and carpet weaving, glass, jewelry, calligraphy, book illumination, and painting. Beginning with the death of Muhammad in 632 C.E. and continuing through the present, the course will cover works from Iran, Syria, Egypt, North Africa, Turkey, Spain, China, India, Indonesia and other areas. Consideration will also be given to contemporary expressions around the world.

91291

ARTH 211 Sightseeing: Vision and the Image in Early Modern Europe

Susan Merriam

. T . Th .

10:10 - 11:30 am

OLIN 102

AART

Cross-listed: Science, Technology and Society This class examines the relationship between theories of vision, and the production and reception of images, in European art and culture of the early modern period (ca. 1500-1750). During this time, ways of thinking about visual experience changed profoundly. The “new science” placed particular importance on observation, and a number of visual technologies (optical devices such as the camera obscura, telescope, microscope, and "peepbox") came into common use. At the same moment that ideas about visual experience were undergoing rapid change, older ways of thinking about vision (the experience of miraculous apparitions, and the dangers inherent in viewing seductive images, for instance) were still a part of everyday life. We will examine this complex moment thematically, considering topics such as: the historicity of vision; perspective systems and their distortion; deception and deceptive images (trompe l’oeil); curiosity and connoisseurship; voyeurism; optical devices; visions of the divine; the image as evidence; the representation of sight.

91295

ARTH 227 Roman Urbanism

Diana Minsky

. T . Th .

3:10 -4:30 pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Cross-listed: Classical, Italian, and Environmental & Urban Studies Politicians and popes – from the city’s founder (Romulus) to recent governments (including Francesco Rutelli, former mayor of Rome) – conscious of the historic significance of urban topography and architectural type, have crafted Rome into a capital that expresses their ideological aims. This class focuses on the commissioning of large-scale representational architecture, the creation of public space, and the orchestration of streets at seven sites in continuous use since antiquity. By charting the chronological development of these sites, the class examines the ongoing dialogue between the past and present in Rome. Ideally, students should come to the class with some knowledge of either the art, architecture, or politics of Rome during some period of its history. Requirements include critical essays, quizzes, and class presentations. This class counts towards the 1400-1800 requirement in Art History. Completion of this class qualifies as a prerequisite for Roma in situ (ARTH 248), taught during January in Rome and in the Spring at Bard.

91798

ARTH 231 The High Renaissance

Jean French

. T . Th .

10:10 -11:30 am

FISHER ANNEX

AART

A study of the major painters, sculptors and patrons (Botticelli, Verrocchio, Pope Julius II, etc.) of Florence and Rome, with special emphasis on the innovations of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo. The course will investigate the origin and development of a monumental style in Italian art and will conclude with an examination of the work of selected mannerist artists. Open to all students.

91298

ARTH 253 Africa in the Americas

Susan Aberth

. T . Th .

1:30 -2:50 pm

OLIN 102

AART

Cross-listed: Africana Studies; Human Rights; LAIS This course explores the many diverse art forms created in the Americas that either addresses the presence of Africans or was made by individuals of African descent. Our enquiry will begin at the discovery and conquest of the Americas (and the presence of African sailors on Spanish ships), and then move on to an examination of the colonial period with Las Castas (paintings charting racial mixing) and the buildings and objects made by black confraternities in Brazil, and then the depiction of Africans by European traveler reporters. The second half of the semester will deal with Post-Independence Modern and Contemporary Latin American art that focuses on the African Diaspora, with a particular emphasis on the survival of African religious practices in the Caribbean, Brazil and elsewhere. This course will involve critical writing, art making, and classroom discussions. Previous courses in Africana and Latin American Studies are helpful, but not mandatory for entrance into this class. Pre-requisite: Must meet with professor during registration advisement.

91293

ARTH 258 Manet to Matisse

Laurie Dahlberg

. T . Th .

1:30 -2:50 pm

Weis Cinema

AART

Cross-listed: French Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies A social history of European painting from 1860 to 1900, beginning with the origins of modernism in the work of Manet. Topics include the rebuilding of Paris under Napoleon III, changing attitudes toward city and country in impressionist and symbolist art, and the prominent place of women in representations of modern life. The course addresses vanguard movements such as impressionism and postimpressionism and the styles of individual artists associated with them, as well as the work of academic painters. Open to all students.

91297

ARTH 259 The Once and Future History of Sustainable Urbanism

Noah Chasin

. T . Th .

11:50 -1:10 pm

RKC 102

AART

Cross-listed: Environmental & Urban Studies, Human Rights Some consider the phrase ‘Sustainable Urbanism’ to be an oxymoron, yet the world’s urban population is growing at an unprecedented rate, and the world’s cities are currently incapable of withstanding the growth. Is it possible to retrofit existing cities to conform to a workable ethos of sustainability? What sorts of measures might urban designers and planners take to ensure that new cities embody the basic tenets of sustainable growth? Students in the course will contemplate these questions historically, theoretically, and in terms of platforms for innovation and action. Issues to be discussed include density, transportation, infrastructure, environmental justice, place-making, energy, LEED certification, Smart Growth, self-organized/ad hoc urban design, and interconnectedness. Readings will include Lewis Mumford, Ant Farm, Douglas Farr, Patrick Geddes, Tunnard and Pushkarev, Timothy Beatley, and Kent Portney. Priority given to students concentrating in Environmental and Urban Studies, Art History, and Human Rights.

91294

ARTH 278 Modernism in America

Julia Rosenbaum

. T . Th .

3:10 -4:30 pm

OLIN 102

AART

Cross-listed: American Studies This course concentrates on early twentieth-century artists and art movements in the United States, from Winslow Homer to Georgia O’Keeffe to Jackson Pollock, from the Ashcan School to the ‘Harlem Renaissance’ to Abstract Expressionism. How have artists understood their work as modern? What have artists and critics meant when they talked about realism and abstraction? In a period shaped by two world wars, Jim Crow laws, and women’s suffrage, how did artists respond to social injustice and warfare? Covering a range of media and genres, we will explore these and other questions about art making in the context of social and political events. Topics include: ‘modernity’ and nationalism; technology and art; exhibitions and cultural propaganda; artistic identity and gender and racial roles; public art, murals, and social activism. By permission of the instructor.

91299

ARTH 290 Chinese Art

Patricia Karetzky

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

PRE 110

AART

Cross-listed: Asian Studies This survey begins with Neolithic painted pottery, the earliest expression of the Chinese aesthetic. Next, the early culture of the Bronze Age is reviewed, followed by the unification of China by the first emperor, the owner of 8,000 life-sized clay figurines. In the fifth century Buddhist art achieved expression in colossal sculptures carved from living rock and in paintings of paradise. Confucian and Taoist philosophy, literature, and popular culture are examined through the paintings of the later dynasties, with an emphasis on landscape painting. The course ends with a consideration of 20^th century art.

91300

ARTH 305 Text and Image: Writing about Art

Laurie Dahlberg

. . W . .

10:10 - 12:30 pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Lamenting the inadequacy of words to express the nuances of human feeling, Flaubert once described language as “a cracked cauldron on which we bang out tunes that make bears dance, when we want to move the stars to pity.” Writing about art is doubly challenging, in that as second parties to the artist’s visual text, we may not know what we think or feel about it, let alone what the maker of the work intended to express. How, then, can we begin to write insightfully about art in a way that can be tested, defended, and understood? This seminar, conceived as a writer’s practicum and adjunct to

ARTH 385 (Art Criticism and Methodology), is intended for upper college students who wish to develop their interpretive skills and really hone the craft of writing about visual art. We will begin with a brief overview of theories of interpretation and work through a series of medium-length papers throughout the semester, stopping to study both popular forms of art writing (such as exhibition reviews) and academic writing based on research. Significant readings will be analyzed and dissected weekly. There will be a final paper of 15 to 20 pages. Open to moderated students with some background in art history or visual studies, by permission of the professor. Applicants will submit a short writing sample.

91331

ARTH / LIT 3090 Black Mountain College & The Invention of Contemporary American Art and Poetry

Ann Lauterbach

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

Olin L. C. 210

ELIT

See Literature section for description.

91302

ARTH 319 Being Animal, Becoming Human: Representing the Human-Animal Boundary in Early Modern Europe

Susan Merriam

M . . . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Cross-listed: Human Rights, STS This course examines how animals and their representations shaped ideas about what it meant to be human in early modern Europe. While some philosophers and theologians during this time postulated the superiority of humans to animals, other thinkers expressed uncertainty about the status of humans. We will study moments where this uncertainty is articulated in paintings, prints, sculpture, textiles, decorative and food arts. Specifically, we will focus on moments where the human-animal boundary is tested, explored, or delimited, including: zoos/menageries, scientific illustration, taxidermy, physiognomic studies, hunting and hunting scenes, still life paintings, depictions of fables, myths, and history in which animals play a central role, elaborate banquets featuring animals, performing and mechanized animals, and representations of domesticated pets and livestock. One museum visit required.

91282

ARTH / PHOT 321 The Photographic Book

Luc Sante

. . . Th .

1:30 -3:50 pm

AVERY 117

See Photography section for description.

91320

ARTH 340 Seminar in Contemporary Art

Tom Wolf

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

RKC 102

AART

A consideration of the history of recent art, beginning with a short survey of the minimalism of the 1960s and then focusing on subsequent artistic developments through the early 21st century.  The class meets in New York City every fourth week to view current exhibitions.   Students give presentations about selected artists and topics to the class.

91296

ARTH 378 Contemporary Issues in Architecture and Urban Theory

Noah Chasin

. . . . F

10:10 - 12:30 pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Cross-listed: Environmental & Urban Studies An investigation of new lines of inquiry that have informed contemporary scholarship in the history and theory of architecture. The class examines how, through new research and methodological approaches, the conceptual parameters of architectural history have been expanded; canonical figures and their works have been recast in distinct terms; and overlooked or understudied architects, practices, and projects have opened up new problematics. Students look at how, in response to such challenges, new forms of architectural practice and new ideas of spatiality have emerged. Topics include theories of domesticity; theories of urbanism and spatial politics; history and memory; sexuality and space; architecture and cinema; architecture, fashion, and branding, globalization and identity; and the emergence of “information space”: the digital and the virtual. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

91287

ARTH 385 Art Criticism and Methodology

Susan Merriam

M . . . .

10:10 - 12:30 pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

This seminar, designed primarily for art history majors, helps students develop the ability to think critically about a range of different approaches to the field of art history. Students read and discuss a variety of texts in order to become familiar with the discipline’s development. Methodologies such as connoisseurship, cultural history, Marxism, feminism, and post-modernism are analyzed.