17253

ARTH 102

Perspectives in World Art II

Julia Rosenbaum

M W 3:10pm-4:30pm

OLIN 102

AART

DIFF

This course, the second half of the general art survey, explores the making of visual arts worldwide. Beginning in the fourteenth century and ending in the twentieth, the class will survey painting, sculpture, and architecture, as well as works in newer media (such as photography, video, and performance). The class will encompass works from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, arranged chronologically in order to provide a more integrated historical context for their production. In addition to the course textbook, readings will be chosen to broaden critical perspectives. This course is designed for those students with no background in art history as well as for those who may be contemplating a major in art history or studio. Open to all students: first and second year students are especially encouraged to enroll. (Art History requirement: ARTH 101 or 102). Class size: 25

17257

ARTH 113

History of Photography

Laurie Dahlberg

W F 8:30am-9:50am

OLIN 102

AART

Cross-listed: Science, Technology & Society 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 the real 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 2000s 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. (Art History requirement: Modern) Class size: 22

17872

ARTH 217

Islamic Art & Architecture, 7^th – 15^th Century

Olga Bush

M W 11:50am-1:10pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Cross-listed: Middle Eastern Studies This course is designed to familiarize students with the evolution of Islamic art and architecture in different regions of the medieval Islamic World (Spain, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia) from the 7th to the 15th century. It will examine the establishment of Islamic traditions of visual identity in the context of territorial expansion and political shifts that resulted in multi-cultural and multi-religious settings. Issues concerning function, patronage, and the exchange of intellectual and artistic ideas will be explored through the study of varied types of architecture (palace, mosque, madrasa, tomb) and portable arts (ceramics, metalwork, textiles and books). Class size: 22

17254

ARTH 223

Wild Visions: Picturing Nature in early modern northern europe

Susan Merriam

T Th 11:50am-1:10pm

OLIN 102

AART

Cross-listed: Environmental & Urban Studies; Science, Technology & Society Early modern artists, scientists, adventurers and amateurs created a compelling visual record of the natural world. The land, sea, animals, fish, reptiles, and human body--all served as objects of study, contemplation, and delight for early modern viewers. Curious artists and observers were enabled in their endeavors by recent technologies (the microscope and telescope) and recording methods (printmaking), while an insatiable audience for images of nature provided a ready market. Nature was celebrated as divine creation and explored as a place of violence and mystery. Her boundaries were tested and recorded in maps and landscape paintings, while her bounty was pictured in spectacular still life paintings, often staged as a contest between nature and art. Cultivated nature provided a place to play in the form of elaborate gardens, while more sedentary pleasures were to be found by armchair travelers immersed in the pages of books illustrating landscapes near and far. Early modern interest in the natural world was pan-European, but the course will focus on images, objects, and environments from present day Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. Media and materials to be discussed include: painting (still life, landscape, hunt scenes), drawings (anatomy studies, botanical illustrations), New World specimens, travel literature, anatomy lessons. (Art History requirement: 15^th through 18^th century, European) Class size: 22

17248

ARTH 234

Utopias

Olga Touloumi

M W 10:10am-11:30am

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Cross-listed: Environmental & Urban Studies; Experimental Humanities What is the shape of utopia? To imagine and write about a future ideal society requires a reconsideration of the ways in which life will be organized in space. Utopian thinkers utilized drawings, maps, and plans to give shape to their vision and illustrate future social and political reconfigurations. From Sir Thomas More’s Amaurote (1535) to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland (1915) and Hakim Bey’s The Temporary Autonomous Zone (1991), authors challenged the limits of imagination, providing designers opportunities for architectural experimentation. This course will examine key writings and architectural projects in an effort to unpack the history of utopian thought since the discovery of the New World, considering projects for socialist utopias, communes, and industrial colonies. The course requires a final paper and short assignments of imaginative speculation. (Art History requirement: modern) Class size: 22

17256

ARTH 236

16^th Century Italian Art, Architecture & urbanism

Diana DePardo-Minsky

T Th 4:40pm-6:00pm

OLIN 102

AART

Cross-listed: Environmental & Urban Studies; Italian Studies Proceeding chronologically and emphasizing Florence and Rome, this lecture class situates formal and iconographic innovations in painting, sculpture, architecture, and urbanism within the politics and theology of the cinquecento Renaissance and the Counter Reformation. The course explores how a deepening knowledge of antiquity (the invention of archaeology!), an ongoing development of art/architectural theory, and the continued study of the natural world crafted a visual vocabulary able to address the existential challenge posed by the Protestant north. Beginning with Leonardo da Vinci, the class analyzes the contributions of Michelangelo, Raphael, and the so-called Mannerists. In addition to secondary scholarship, readings incorporate primary sources by Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Vasari. Requirements include a mid-term, a final, a critical essay, and a research paper on a work in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Open to all students. Completion of this class qualifies students for consideration for Roma in Situ, taught in Rome during January of odd-numbered years and completed at Bard in the Spring semester. (Art History requirement: 15^th through 18^th C., Europe). Class size: 22

17011

ARTH 239

Surrealism in Latin American Literature & Art

Susan Aberth

Melanie Nicholson

M W 3:10pm-4:30pm

OLIN 205

AART

DIFF

Cross-listed: Latin American & Iberian Studies André Breton, founder and leader of the Surrealist Movement, first visited Mexico in 1938 and the Caribbean in 1941. Politically supportive of Latin America’s struggle against European imperialism, Breton was deeply interested in both its art and culture, and had a large personal collection of ethnographic artifacts. Surrealist journals and artists extolled “primitive” mythologies and were captivated by such “exotic” artists as Frida Kahlo and Wifredo Lam. This course plans to explore two areas: the rich and varied field of surrealism in both literature and the arts of Latin America and, to question the Surrealist fascination with non-Western culture. As numerous critics have noted, surrealism came alive in Latin America at the moment when it was waning in Europe, and continued to develop throughout the twentieth century. By looking through the double lens of art and literature, we will tease out answers to such questions as: What geographical, political, and/or social factors contributed to the widespread growth of Surrealism in Latin America? In what ways did cross-fertilization take place among the countries of Latin America, and between these countries and Europe? Did Latin American artists always feel comfortable being labeled “Surrealist” or was it viewed as another form of colonization? In what ways did the European Surrealists project their fantasies regarding the psychic power of the “primitive” onto Latin American creative production? Finally, we will examine the ways in which Surrealism and its influences survive in contemporary cultural production. Permission of the instructor required. (Art History requirement: Americas, Modern). Class size: 22

17251

ARTH 242

Art Since 1989

Alex Kitnick

M W 1:30pm-2:50pm

OLIN 102

AART

This course will examine art that has been produced since 1989, primarily in Europe and the US. 1989 saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of a major shift in the geopolitical landscape. This course will chart a variety of artistic practices, including identity politics, institutional critique, and relational aesthetics, which engaged this new terrain by asking questions about history, temporality, and community. The course will look at examples of installation, performance, and video art, as well as painting and sculpture. Students will turn in two papers, as well as various shorter written assignments. Exams will be given at midterm and at the end of the semester. (Art History requirement: Modern). Class size: 22

17247

ARTH 255

Outsider Art

Susan Aberth

T Th 3:10pm-4:30pm

OLIN 102

AART

Related interest: Human Rights, Photography The term “Outsider Art” is a problematic umbrella under which are grouped a variety of difficult to categorize artistic practices. This class will first examine the use of terminology such as outsider, naïve, and visionary, as well as groupings such as art brut, folk art, art of the insane, and even popular culture. We will pursue relevant questions such as: what exactly are the criteria for inclusion in such categories, do art markets drive this labeling, how does this work function within the art world, are categorical borders crossed in order to fit the needs of exhibiting institutions, and finally how has Outsider Art impacted mainstream modern and contemporary art and are the dividing lines between the two still relevant? We will look at artwork produced within certain institutional settings such as mental asylums and prisons, as well as that produced by mediums, spiritualists and other “visionaries” working within what can be best described as a “folk art” category. There will be a field trip to the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City. This class is open to all students. (Art History Requirement: Modern). Class size: 25

17259

ARTH 257

Art in the Age of Revolution European Painting, 1750-1850

Laurie Dahlberg

W F 11:50am-1:10pm

OLIN 102

AART

Cross-listed: French Studies The mid-eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth century, a period brimming over with revolution and political upheaval in Europe, witnessed profound changes in the way art was produced, understood, criticized, marketed, distributed and exhibited. This course seeks to introduce major themes, objects, persons, and social currents of European Art from the 1770s to the 1850s. We will follow currents in Spain, Germany, Great Britain, and France. Major topics include changing definitions of neoclassicism and romanticism; the impact of the revolutions of 1789, 1830, and 1848; the Napoleonic presence abroad; the shift from history painting to scenes of everyday life; landscape painting as an autonomous art form; and attitudes toward race and sexuality. We will try to understand artworks from three distinct perspectives: the social, the aesthetic, and the political, and investigate how these forces intersected to both create and reflect “the modern” as it is understood today. However, revivalism, tradition, and conservative reaction were equally powerful factors in shaping the art of the period, and we will be particularly interested in the push and pull of old, new, and in-between. We do not cover architecture and sculpture in this course. There will be two research papers, two exams, and a class presentation. Written abstracts of key readings on notecards will also be collected weekly. Class size: 22

17258

ARTH 262

20^th Century German ART

Tom Wolf

W Th 10:10am-11:30am

OLIN 102

AART

Cross-listed: German Studies This course focuses on German and Austrian art of the 20^th century. The emphasis is on art in Germany from Jugendstil through expressionism, dadaism, Neue Sachlichkeit, Nazi and concentration camp art, and post-World War II developments. Artists studied include Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Egon Schiele. The course concludes with an investigation of how more recent artists such as Joseph Beuys, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Sigmar Polke, and Gerhard Richter connect to previous German artistic tendencies. (Art History requirement: Europe, Modern. Class size: 22

17262

ARTH 293

East Meets West

Patricia Karetzky

W 1:30pm-3:50pm

OLIN 301

AART

DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies A consideration, through art, of the impacts Eastern and Western cultures have had on one another. Broad topics for discussion include the arts of Buddhism and the Silk Road; medieval European borrowings from the East; travelers East and West; Arabs as transmitters of Asian technologies; concepts of heaven and hell; Western missionaries and the introduction of Western culture in India, China, and Japan; Chinoiserie in European architecture gardening and design; and Japonisme-the influence of the Asian aesthetic on modern art movements. (Art History requirement: Asia, Ancient). Class size: 22

17260

ARTH 310

American Photographs

Laurie Dahlberg

Th 10:10am-12:30pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Cross-listed: American Studies This seminar examines photography from a cultural studies perspective, that is, in relation to the many threads of American experience and expression that comprise the historical moment, in the context of the history, art, and literature of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Topics include the daguerreotype’s resonance with transcendental philosophy, imagistic trauma of the Civil War, Progressive Era “muckraking” and Depression Era propaganda photography; the medium’s place in Alfred Stieglitz’s literary/artistic circle, Walker Evans’ seminal “American Photographs” exhibition, and post-war photographers who reimagined documentary photography as subjective expression. As a seminar, the course will require substantial reading, writing, and discussion, including individual student presentations and a seminar paper of 15-20 pages. Class size: 15

17252

ARTH 312

Roma in Situ

Diana DePardo-Minsky

M 3:10pm-5:30pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Cross-listed: Classical Studies; Environmental & Urban Studies; Italian Studies Roma in situ considers the temporal and spatial experience of art, architecture, and urbanism by combining two intensive weeks in Rome in January with seminar-style meetings in the spring semester. In Rome, the first week focuses on the ancient city, studying the evolving role of public monuments as the republic transformed into an empire. The second week explores post-antique (up to the present day) reconfiguration of antiquities in order to construct political and theological meaning. The portion of the class in Rome is rigorous, consisting of over seventy hours of lectures at archaeological sites, in museums, and in churches. During the spring semester, the class analyzes the art seen in Rome and discusses the secondary scholarship. Requirements include two presentations (one on texts, one on art), two exams, and a research paper. The prerequisite for the class is successful completion of either Roman Art and Architecture (ARTH 210), Roman Urbanism (ARTH 227), or 16^th-century Italian Renaissance Art, Architecture, and Urbanism (ArtH 236). The class is limited to sixteen students; priority is based on academic relevance and intellectual maturity. The cost of the Rome component is circa $1700 to include transportation in Rome, lodging, breakfast, museum admissions, and all but two dinners. Airfare is not included, and financial aid does not assist with this fee. Credit will only be awarded upon successful completion of both components of the class. Permission of the professor required. (Art History requirement: European). Class size: 15

17263

ARTH 315

Interior Worlds: Turn-of-the-century American Decorative Arts and Material Culture

Julia Rosenbaum

F 10:10am-12:30pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

Cross-listed: American Studies; Experimental Humanities

It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible…

—Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, chapter 2

How does the world of interior spaces, their furnishings and decorative objects, tell us stories, assert values, project identities? Through an engaged-learning experience with three early twentieth-century National Park sites in the Hudson Valley—the Vanderbilt Mansion, the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt’s Home at Val-Kill—this seminar explores both the relationship between objects and identities and issues of consumption and appearance.

The course will focus on American decorative arts from the late nineteenth into the twentieth century addressing theories about the purpose, meaning, and value of design and decoration as well as key movements, designers, and artists. Visiting the sites and collections regularly, we will combine the scholarly study of aesthetic ideals and social practices with hands-on examination of specific objects in the Vanderbilt and Roosevelt museum collections. Final projects will involve individual or group curated digital exhibitions. Class size: 15

17438

ARTH 333

Decorative Arts of Later imperial China

Francois Louis

M 1:30pm-3:50pm

OLIN 301

AART

This seminar examines the later history of Chinese ceramics, metalwork, jade, silk, furniture, jewelry, and lacquerwork. Students will gain an understanding of the material environment of China’s cultural elite during the last four imperial dynasties. The discussion of representative artifacts will touch on a wide range of issues, including collecting; ideas of self-cultivation, taste, and decorum; imperial and aristocratic consumption; the iconography and social function of pictorial ornament; art production within an increasingly commercialized society; international trade and the resulting cultural exchange; and connoisseurship. The course will include a visit to the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Requirements: brief presentations, mid-term assignment, 12-15-page final paper. Class size: 15

17372

ARTH 348

Asian American Artists Seminar

Tom Wolf

Th 1:30pm-3:50pm

FISHER ANNEX

AART

DIFF

Cross-listed: American Studies, Asian Studies In recent years there has been increasing interest in artists of Asian ancestry who have worked in the United States. The relationships between the artistic traditions of their native lands and their subsequent immersion in American culture provide material for fascinating inquiries concerning biography, style, subject matter, and politics. This class will examine artists active in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century as well as contemporary artists. We will take one or two trips to New York City to see art by Asian American artists, and the class will read several works of fiction by Asian American writers to supplement the art history readings. Students will give presentations about selected artists either historic or recent. Key artists studied will include Isamu Noguchi, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Yun Gee, Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Patty Chang, Nikki Lee and Mariko Mori. (Art History requirement: Americas, Modern) Class size: 15

17255

ARTH 385

Theories & Methods OF Art History

Alex Kitnick

T 1:30pm-3:50pm

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. (Art History required class) Class size: 15

Cross-listed courses:

17199

LIT 265

Victorian Poverty:Paint/Print

Natalie Prizel

T Th 1:30pm-2:50pm

OLIN 204

D+J

ELIT

Cross-listed: Art History; Victorian Studies Class size: 22

17060

RUS 225

Russian Art of the Avant-Garde

Oleg Minin

M W 3:10pm-4:30pm

PRE 110

AART

Cross-listed: Art History

17390

THTR 229

History:East Village Performance

John Kelly

M 1:30pm-4:30pm

FISHER PAC SSR

AART

Cross-listed: Art History; Dance; Gender and Sexuality Studies Class size: 16

17391

THTR 317

20th Century Avant Garde PerformancE

Miriam Felton-Dansky

T 1:30pm-3:50pm

FISHER PAC NORTH

AART

Cross-listed: Art History; Experimental Humanities