Perspectives in World Art II

 

Professor:

Julia Rosenbaum

 

Course Number:

ARTH 102

CRN Number:

10239

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Olin 102

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art D+J Difference and Justice

This course explores the visual arts worldwide from the fourteenth century into the 20th century. We will consider painting and sculpture alongside other media in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, arranged chronologically in order to provide a more integrated historical context for their production. The course objectives include: broad understanding of art making processes and the historical/social/artistic context of objects; knowledge of significant art historical moments and influences; concepts and vocabulary to analyze and discuss visual material. The course is designed for those students with little or no background in art history as well as for those contemplating a major in Art History and Visual Culture or in studio art. (Fulfills the 101/102 requirement for moderating into Art History and Visual Culture).

 

Introduction to the History of Photography

 

Professor:

Laurie Dahlberg

 

Course Number:

ARTH 113

CRN Number:

10232

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Olin 102

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: 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. AHVC distribution: Post 1500, Americas

 

Visual Cultures of Ancient India

 

Professor:

Hillary Langberg

 

Course Number:

ARTH 121

CRN Number:

10234

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Olin 102

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Architecture; Asian Studies; Study of Religions

This course examines the visual cultures of ancient India, which primarily reflect the sacred spaces and sculptures of its three major indigenous religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. It will also introduce students to the painting and Islamic architecture patronized by the medieval Mughal Emperors. These richly-varied visual contexts tell us what written texts alone cannot, reflecting practices in everyday life. Art and architecture have also been central elements in the demonstration of power by religious institutions and nation-states for millennia. This course utilizes artistic and architectural production as a lens through which to understand the interconnectedness of culture, religion, statecraft, and economy in Indian history, from the prehistoric Indus River Valley civilization (c. fourth century BCE) to the seventeenth-century Taj Mahal. AHVC Distribution: Pre-1500, Asia

 

Modern Architecture in the Age of Colonialism

 

Professor:

Ivonne Santoyo Orozco

 

Course Number:

ARTH 125

CRN Number:

10240

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed    11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Fisher Annex

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Architecture; Environmental & Urban Studies

This course examines the history of modern architecture, examining the debates, theories, and practices that informed its many facets from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century. We will be discussing the production of the built environment within the context of colonialism, focusing on the infrastructures, institutions, and building types that emerged in response to industrialization, social revolutions, and epistemic shifts. The industrialization of production, new technologies, material, and institutions, as well as growing urban cultures and changing social structures called for architects and designers to partake in the process of modernization. The course will pay particular attention to the ways in which architects responded to and participated in formal and aesthetic developments, as well as epistemic and cultural shifts that marked modernity, such as the enlightenment, Darwinism, positivism, and the rise of psychology. Covering many aspects of architecture, from buildings, drawings, exhibitions, and schools, to historical and theoretical writings and manifestos, we will investigate the wide range of modernist practices, polemics and institutions. The aim of the course is to provide a solid historical framework of the debates and practices that made architecture modern, while engaging the students in a critical discussion of the role of architecture in the production of the built environment and the forces that shape it. The course includes field trips, readings, and short assignments. AHVC Distribution: Post 1500, Americas

 

Art and Experiment in Early Modern Europe

 

Professor:

Susan Merriam

 

Course Number:

ARTH 204

CRN Number:

10237

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     11:50 AM - 1:10 PM New Annandale House

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Experimental Humanities

This course is a meditation on the meaning and histories of artistic experimentation in early modern Europe (1500-1800). At this time, art and science were often intricately connected, and artists took for granted the notion that they could manipulate and experiment with materials (oil paint for example), techniques (such as printmaking), and conceptual approaches to art making. Some of the areas we will examine include anatomical studies, optical experiments, and the use of materials and techniques. Questions we will pursue: What is meant by “visual experiment”?  How might artistic failure be generative? How did artistic experiments shape practices we would now consider to be located solely in the realm of science, such as anatomical study? What is the relationship between experiment and risk?  How might we compare artistic experiments in the early modern period to those undertaken in our own? As we study artistic experiment, we will create our own visual experiments using both old and new technologies. A highlight will be working with a life-sized camera obscura. This course satisfies the Experimental Humanities core course requirement for “History of the Experiment.” AHVC distribution: Post 1500, Europe.

 

Northern Renaissance Art

 

Professor:

Susan Merriam

 

Course Number:

ARTH 219

CRN Number:

10236

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Fisher Studio Arts ANNEX

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

This course examines the rich visual culture of northern Europe from the late 14th through the mid 16th centuries. Rather than survey this period, we will look at works by artists such as van Eyck, Bosch, Durer, Holbein and Bruegel in a variety of contexts. These will include the late medieval court, devotional practice, artistic status and production, class consciousness, gender, and daily life. We’ll also study how the Protestant Reformation and artistic exchanges between Italy and northern Europe shaped art practice, and how innovations in the use of materials (oil paint in particular) enabled artists to create astonishingly lifelike images. Special attention will be given to controversial works (references to alchemy and witchcraft in the paintings of Bosch, for example). Assignments for the course will include weekly readings, short papers, exams, and a research project in the form of a paper (10-12 pages) or project designed in consultation with the professor. AHVC distribution: Post 1500, Europe.

 

Gender in Ancient Mediterranean Visual Culture

 

Professor:

Anne Chen

 

Course Number:

ARTH 240

CRN Number:

10230

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Olin 102

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Classical Studies; Gender and Sexuality Studies

How was gender constructed in ancient Mediterranean cultures? What rights, roles, responsibilities, and expectations differentially defined the lives of gendered bodies? Why are art, architecture, and archaeological remains such important sources for answering these questions? This course will provide a comparative perspective exploring how the material culture of the ancient world contributes to our understanding of gender in Western Asia, Egypt, Greece, Etruria, and the Roman Empire. Coursework includes regular homework assignments and in-class discussions, a presentation, and a final paper. AHVC distribution: Pre 1500, Europe.

 

Religious Art of Latin America

 

Professor:

Susan Aberth

 

Course Number:

ARTH 273

CRN Number:

10227

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Fisher Studio Arts ANNEX

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Africana Studies; Latin American/Iberian Studies; Theology

This course explores the varied visual manifestations of religious expression in Latin America after the Spanish conquest. In addition to churches, statuary, and paintings, the class examines folk art traditions, African diasporic religions, and contemporary art and practices. We will use a variety of art assignments to explore the techniques and devotional practices involved with certain types of creations, i.e. altar construction. In addition there will be a 10 page research paper, a midterm and a final. AHVC distribution: Post 1500, Americas.

 

Multi-Media Gothic

 

Professor:

Katherine Boivin

 

Course Number:

ARTH 316

CRN Number:

10326

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

   Thurs    12:30 PM - 2:50 PM Olin 102

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Experimental Humanities; French Studies; Medieval Studies

Although scholarship on medieval art has often been separated by medium, Gothic church programs were actually multi-media spaces with meaning transcending the individual work of art.  This class, therefore, explores a wide range of artistic media, including stained glass, painting, sculpture, architecture, textiles, and metalwork, as they contributed to the dynamic space of the Gothic church.  In addition, it considers modern technologies for representing these complex programs, drawing parallels between the explosion of images in the Gothic era and the role of media today.  Structured around the investigation of case-study churches throughout western Europe—with a particular focus on France and Germany from the 13th through 15th centuries—this class will cover topics including architectural structuring of space, image placement, dramatic performances of the liturgy, the “economy of salvation,” and cultural notions of decorum.  Coursework includes weekly writing assignments, active in-class discussion, and a final 15-page research paper. AHVC distributions: Pre 1500, Europe.

 

Dura-Europos and the Problems of Archaeological Archives (Part 1)

 

Professor:

Anne Chen

 

Course Number:

ARTH 318

CRN Number:

10231

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      12:30 PM - 2:50 PM Olin 301

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Classical Studies; Experimental Humanities; Human Rights; Middle Eastern Studies

What silences do archaeological archives unintentionally preserve? In what ways do power and privilege influence the creation and shape of archaeological archives, and dictate who has access to them? How might new technologies help us begin to rectify inequities of access? Once called by its excavators the “Pompeii of the East,” the ancient archaeological site of Dura-Europos (Syria) preserves evidence of what everyday life was like in an ancient Roman city. The site is home to the earliest Christian church building yet found, the most elaborately decorated ancient synagogue known to date, and testifies to the ways in which ancient religions and cultures intermingled and inspired one another. Yet since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the site has been irreparably compromised for future archaeological exploration. More than ever, our knowledge and understanding of the site's ancient phases will depend almost entirely upon archival information collected in the course of archaeological excavations that took place 100 years ago when Syria was under French colonial occupation. In this hands-on practicum course focused on the case-study of this fascinating archaeological site, students will not only learn what we know of Dura-Europos as it was in antiquity, but will also think critically about issues central to the use and development of archival resources more generally. Coursework will center around firsthand engagement with data, artifacts, and archival materials from the site, and will allow students the opportunity to develop guided research projects that ultimately contribute toward the goal of improving the site’s accessibility and intelligibility to users worldwide. The methods and critical perspectives explored in this class will be particularly relevant to students interested in exploring careers in GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museum) fields. AHVC distribution: Pre 1500, Middle East.

 

The Power of Buddhist Images

 

Professor:

Hillary Langberg

 

Course Number:

ARTH 334

CRN Number:

10235

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

    Fri   12:30 PM - 2:50 PM Fisher Studio Arts ANNEX

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Asian Studies; Study of Religions

This seminar focuses on the power and significance of Buddhist images, believed to embody the presence of buddhas and buddhas-to-be (bodhisattvas), in artworks from across Asia prior to 1500 (including India, China, Japan, Tibet, Nepal, and Java). In Buddhist traditions, images have long been the focal points of devotion, meditation, mantra recitation, and other rituals. Students in this course will employ methods that reflect recent trends in scholarship and museum exhibitions, by examining the power of Buddhist images in terms of their function in on-the-ground practices in addition to their roles as skilled works of art. This course will culminate in a 10-15 page research paper that incorporates analyses of style, iconography, materials, and methods of creation, as well as the ways in which these artworks serve as important records of a specific time, place, and context in the history of Asian Buddhism. AHVC Distribution: Pre 1500, Asia.

 

Women Artists and the Surrealist Movement

 

Professor:

Susan Aberth

 

Course Number:

ARTH 349

CRN Number:

10226

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

  Wed     3:10 PM - 5:30 PM Fisher Studio Arts ANNEX

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art D+J Difference and Justice

 

Crosslists: Gender and Sexuality Studies; Latin American/Iberian Studies

The Surrealist Movement, launched in the 1920s by the poet André Breton in Paris, ascribed to woman a pivotal and revolutionary role in the life and work of man.  The movement offered women unique roles as both muse and creator and attracted a large number of active female participants.  Until recent feminist scholarship, the lives and work of these women were overshadowed by those of the male Surrealists.  This course will first examine the use of, indeed the centrality of, female sexuality in Surrealist imagery, and then juxtapose it to the writings and art work of such female Surrealists as Dorothea Tanning, Remedios Varo, Lee Miller, Meret Openheim, Leonor Fini, Nusch Eluard, Dora Maar, Jacqueline Lamba, Valentine Hugo, Mimi Parent, Unica Zürn, Ithel Colquhoun, Eileen Agar, Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Kay Sage, Toyen, Claude Cahun, and others.  Issues explored will be female subjectivity, cultural identity, occultism, mythology, dream imagery, artistic collaboration, the role of poetry, and the various methodologies employed to interpret Surrealism in general. AHVC distribution: Post 1500, Americas. 

 

Afro-Cosmopolitans, 1935-1955

 

Professor:

Kobena Mercer

 

Course Number:

ARTH 372

CRN Number:

10425

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      12:30 PM - 2:50 PM Olin 102

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Africana Studies

At mid-20th century, African American artists not only entered the U.S. mainstream but Black art became an international phenomenon with the rise of Caribbean artists such as Wifredo Lam. Starting with documentary photography of the 1930s Depression era, when museums also began to collect “folk” art, the seminar examines border-crossing journeys that led Elizabeth Catlett to Mexico and W.H. Johnson to Scandinavia. As writer Zora Neale Hurston, choreographer Katherine Dunham, and film-maker Maya Deren explored the roots of Vodun and other diaspora religions, we examine how artists responded to the insurgent anti-colonial movements of the 1940s. Concluding with the Afro-Brazilian world of Pierre Verger’s photographs and abstraction by South African painter Ernest Mancoba, the class will equip students with an interdisciplinary understanding of the transnational formation of Black Atlantic modernism. Assessment will comprise: 3 short response papers (350 words), a Mid-Term paper (500 words), a 20 minute in-class Presentation of 3 pages and 4 slides on a topic of your choice, and a 5 page Final Paper that develops the analysis and argument of your Presentation in light of feedback gained in class. AHVC distribution:  Post 1500, Africa/African Diaspora. 

 

Theories and Methods of Art History

 

Professor:

Alex Kitnick

 

Course Number:

ARTH 385

CRN Number:

10233

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

  Wed     9:10 AM - 11:30 AM Olin 301

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

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.  AHVC distribution: Required for major.

 

Deconstructing the Museum

 

Professor:

Susan Merriam

 

Course Number:

ARTH 389

CRN Number:

10238

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      3:10 PM - 5:30 PM Fisher Studio Arts ANNEX

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Human Rights

This course looks at the museum both historically and conceptually in order to contextualize contemporary debates about its role in western culture. We will begin by studying the origins of museums in early modern collecting, and examine how colonial practices informed the acquisition of objects. We also look at how early forms of collecting were connected to ideas about dominance and otherness. We will see how archeology shaped early modern ideas about history and objects, and how it is that the preservation of objects came to have such significance in the West. In addition to looking at the historical emergence of museums, we will consider their form and meaning: What type of narratives do museums construct? Why are some objects valued as art, while others are considered artifacts? What are the ethics of collecting and displaying artifacts from other cultures? We will spend the last few weeks of the course studying how two relatively new museums (the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of the American Indian) and one much older museum (The Brooklyn Museum of Art) have attempted to tell new, more inclusive narratives about history and culture. AHVC Distribution: Post 1500, Americas.

 

Cross-listed Courses:

 

Exhibiting Architecture / Architecturing Exhibitions

 

Professor:

Ivan Lopez Munuera

 

Course Number:

ARCH 326

CRN Number:

10653

Class cap:

12

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon     3:30 PM - 5:50 PM Achebe Flex Space 1

 

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

 

Crosslists: Art History & Visual Culture

 

The Courage to Be: Artistic Encounters with Nature

 

Professor:

Jana Mader

 

Course Number:

CC 108 D

CRN Number:

10121

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Olin 307

 

Distributional Area:

MBV Meaning, Being, Value SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Art History and Visual Culture; Environmental Studies; Experimental Humanities

 

Documents/Monuments/Memory

 

Professor:

Franco Baldasso

 

Course Number:

LIT 277

CRN Number:

10334

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Olin 205

 

Distributional Area:

LA Literary Analysis in English D+J Difference and Justice

 

Crosslists: Art History and Visual Culture; Human Rights; Italian Studies