| Course | Title | Instructor | Description |
|---|
| ART HIS 40A | ANC EGYPT GRC ROME | KENNEDY-QUIGLE, S. | 40A is the first quarter of a year-long course, “History of Western Art,” which provides an overview of art in its various forms within the context of Western civilization, from the earliest evidence of visual culture to the present day. This first part of the course surveys the art and architecture of the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Particular attention will be paid to why the peoples of antiquity created art and architecture, the significance of art within its historical, political, social, and religious context, and how the visual arts can illuminate cultural issues. Course requirements include midterm and final examinations, and participation, homework, and quizzes in discussion sections. No prerequisite. |
| ART HIS 42A | ARTS OF INDIA | PATEL, A. | This course will examine the art and architecture of India and Pakistan, and parts of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — the region known as South Asia. We will cover the ancient through contemporary periods, exploring well-known sites such as the Indus Valley, the Bamiyan Buddhas, and the Taj Mahal, and works of contemporary artists like M.F. Husain. 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. |
| ART HIS 100 | ART&ARCH ANC EGYPT | KENNEDY-QUIGLE, S. | This course will survey the art and architecture of ancient Egypt from the Pre-Dynastic Period to the Late Period (ca. 3100-332 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 140B | THE LA ART SCENE | NISBET, J. | “The LA Art Scene: Recent Histories and Present Prospects” This course will examine the emergence and current life of Los Angeles as a major international center for the production, display, and criticism of contemporary art. Boasting a handful of the top art schools in the world, several major museums, dozens of galleries, multiple media outlets, and hundreds of professional and aspiring artists, L. A. is one of the world’s vital centers for the visual arts. Through a number of focused case studies, we will explore how this condition came into formation during the late twentieth century, and consider a few of the institutions and artists that help to define its present-day “scene.” Readings will be drawn from artist statements, criticism, and cultural studies. Assignments will include responses to exhibitions and events taking place during the Fall 2013 in greater Los Angeles. |
| ART HIS 151C | MODERN CHINA | WUE, R. | This course explores the art and visual culture of modern China from the late 19th to the end of the twentieth century. Focusing on Chinese artists’ embrace of immense social, cultural and historical changes in this period, we will investigate their experimentation with new subjects, styles and media ranging from brush-and-ink painting, photography, oil painting and printmaking to installation and performance pieces. Major themes for the class include constantly shifting issues of modernity, nationalism, identity and political engagement. The primary objectives of this course are not only to understand this period in a cultural and historical context, but also to develop visual and analytical skills in looking at, writing about and interpreting art. |
| ART HIS 155A | ANCIENT INDIA | PATEL, A. | This course will examine the visual history of the region defined as ‘India’ today, but necessarily encompassing modern Bangladesh and Pakistan. After a brief, introductory look at the Indus Valley Civilization (2700-1500 BCE), we will explore the impact of Hellenizing culture on the Buddhist art and architecture of the Indian subcontinent, and the inverse dispersal of Buddhist and Hindu iconographies to East and Southeast Asia. The course will culminate with the supposed Golden Age of the Gupta empire and its far-reaching legacies. |
| ART HIS 165A | AMER ART:1620-1800 | WHITING, C. | This course examines American visual culture from the era of European exploration and colonization of the New World to the beginning of the Civil War. It pays special attention to the production of visual knowledge about the New World in the early modern period, the training and status of the artist, the role of imagery in fashioning national identity after the American Revolution, and the emergence of different audiences for the arts. |
| ART HIS 183B | CONTEMP PHOTOGRAPHY | NISBET, J. | Beginning in the late 1960s, the field of photography experienced a dynamic expansion and revision. This “photo boom,” as one practitioner described it, ushered in a significant realignment in contemporary art, witnessing photography shift from a specialist practice on the periphery of painting and sculpture to assume vital importance within the production and reception of advanced art. Focusing on major art centers in North America and Western Europe, we will begin with conceptual art during the 1960s, to be followed by such topics as performance, staged photography, digitality, and camera-less abstraction. Major figures include Bernd and Hilla Becher, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Sherrie Levine, and Wolfgang Tillmans. Readings will be drawn primarily from artist statements and criticism. |
| ART HIS 190W | PRACTCUM FOR MAJORS | WUE, R. | A required course for junior and senior art history majors, the practicum has the dual purpose of 1) closely examining the tools, methods and approaches of the art historian and 2) strengthening writing skills and strategies. Through analytic readings, presentations and discussion, students will investigate the major methodologies employed by art historians and their implications for how we understand the work of art. Along with these close readings, students will also practice their own analytical and writing skills through a series of paper assignments focusing on art historical formats, ranging from formal analyses to a final research paper. |