| Course | Title | Instructor | Description |
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| ART HIS 40A | HISTORY OF WESTERN ART | KENNEDY-QUIGLEY, S. | The first quarter of a year-long course, “History of Western Art,” provides an overview of art in its various forms within the context of Western civilization, from the prehistoric period to the present. 40A surveys prehistoric art, the art of ancient Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome. We will consider how and why the peoples of antiquity created art and architecture, the significance of art within its social, religious, and historical context, how the visual arts can illuminate cultural issues, and how ancient art takes on various meanings to us today. One mid-term examination, one paper based on a visit to a museum, quizzes in discussion sections, final examination. No prerequisite. |
| ART HIS 42A | HISTORY OF ASIAN ART | WOLFGRAM, J. | This first course of the year-long series “History of Asian Art” will be focused primarily on the art and architecture of India. Starting from very ancient remains, we will explore well-known areas and sites such as the Indus Valley, the Bamiyan Buddhas, and the Taj Mahal. A general knowledge of the Indic visual traditions will lead to study of some of the world’s great religions — Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam — and examination of the effects of nationhood on cultural, political and religious identities. One pre-exam, mid-term examination, one catalogue entry, quizzes in discussion sections, final examination. No prerequisite.
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| ART HIS 100 | ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF ANCIENT EGYPT | KENNEDY-QUIGLEY, S. | This course will survey the art and architecture of ancient Egypt from the Pre-Dynastic Period to the Ptolemaic Period (ca. 3100-31 B.C.E.). The course will be structured chronologically, examining monuments within the context of Egyptian religion, politics, and history. Particular attention will be paid to how context and function inform innovations and continuities in the visual culture of ancient Egypt. Prior exposure to the civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean and/or Near East is helpful, but not required or presumed. Course requirements include participation in class discussions relative to required readings, a research paper, and midterm and final examinations. |
| ART HIS 114 | MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE 900-1200 | GONOSOVA, A. | This survey will explore the dramatic developments in architecture of the Central Middle Ages in Western Europe from cathedrals to pilgrimage centers, and from monastic complexes to fortified castles as represented by monuments from ca. 900 to 1200. Short class quizzes, mid-term and final examinations, three short papers.
The same as Humanities 110 |
| ART HIS 120 | INTRODUCTION TO ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ART | MASSEY, L. | The Italian Renaissance was one of the most intense and exciting periods of artistic invention and production in the history of Western Europe. In this course we will examine the careers and works of a broad range of famous artists (Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Giorgione and Titian, etc) who contributed to this era of cultural revitalization. In addition, we will explore how the arts contributed to and interacted with the political, social and cultural life of the important urban centers of Italy (Florence, Rome, Venice). Throughout the course we will move between lectures and group activities/discussions: among other things, we'll try to recreate Brunelleschi's famous experiments with linear perspective (the geometrical technique used by artists to create the illusion of 3-D space on the flat picture plane); we'll discuss "contracts" between patrons and painters; come up with solutions to erecting the Duomo in Florence; and discuss Michelangelo's celebration of the male body as the perfect ideal of sculptural and painterly form. Course requirements: two midterms, one final paper, and participation in discussions. |
| ART HIS 121 | GENDER AND RENAISSANCE ART | MASSEY, L. | Artistic practice in the Italian Renaissance was inextricably tied to considerations of sexuality and gender. For instance, Leonardo da Vinci equated the beauty of painting with the artist's ability to represent the beauty of women. That is, in art theory of the Renaissance, Woman=Beauty=Painting. Alternatively, sculptors like Donatello and Michelangelo produced works that exploited the homoerotic potential of the male nude form, celebrating it as the epitome of ideal beauty. This in turn resonated with theological debates in which Christ's humanity was equated with his sexuality. Altarpieces and other artworks that lavished attention on Christ's body and genitals contributed to these debates in substantial ways. On the other hand, while women artists (and there were some in the Renaissance) were often represented as insufficiently masculine to achieve artistic mastery, male artists were often represented in feminized, gendered terms as "giving birth" to artistic ideas and form. In this course we will explore these and other contradictions and the various ways that gender and sex informed the production and consumption of art in the Renaissance. Some knowledge of Renaissance art recommended. |
| ART HIS 134C | EUROPEAN ART: 1851-1907 | HERBERT, J. | This class takes as its subject the cultural and political crucible of Paris and its surrounds during the second half of the nineteenth century. The fine art of painting, at the time a highly privileged medium for the formulation and expression of ideas, will deservedly receive a great deal of our attention, but we will also investigate urban planning, drawing and printing, and a bit of sculpture. We will analyze the engagement of many of these visual artifacts in the cultural and social battles of their day during a contentious period of French history. Artists studied include Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Morisot, Cassatt, Seurat, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Matisse.
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| ART HIS 140A | CONTEMPORARY ART SURVEY (1960S-70S) | WOODS, N. | This lecture course is a concentrated, exploratory survey of the major artistic trends and debates of contemporary art—circa 1960-1979—with an emphasis on the impact of conceptual art, performance, and photography in the United States and Western Europe. Our approach will be chronological as well as thematic, as we address important debates in the post-WWII era, including: the diversification of media (including the artist’s body); the impact of old and new technologies (photo-documentation, film, and video); the influence of experimental music and poetry; and the emergence of feminism, institutional critique, and identity politics. Each issue will be considered within the framework of the various cultural, social, and political pressures that mark the second half of the 20th century. Lectures will emphasize formal analysis, as well as social context, and readings will include critical theories and artists’ writings. |
| ART HIS 190W | PRACTCUM FOR MAJORS | COOKS CUMBO, B. | A required course for all art history majors, the practicum cultivates basic skills and knowledge necessary for specialized study in art history. Students focus on basic bibliographic research skills and analytic reading skills in the field, while learning methodological approaches to writing about art. Accordingly, students write, edit, and revise numerous formal analysis and research assignments. |