| Course | Title | Instructor | Description |
|---|
| ART HIS 40C | HISTORY OF WESTERN ART | HERBERT, J. | Less a comprehensive survey than a collection of historical vignettes, this segment of the course explores the meaning and function of works of art--painting, sculpture, architecture--in Europe and America at various moments in time from the dawn of the seventeenth century to the beginning of twenty-first century. In each case study, we will examine the mechanisms through which works of art formulated, preserved and propagated certain ideas, social and political as well as artistic. |
| ART HIS 42A | HISTORY OF ASIAN ART | STEIN, DEBORAH | 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. |
| ART HIS 103 | CLASSICAL MYTH IN ART | KENNEDY-QUIGLEY, S. | This course will investigate the development, standardization, and anomalies of mythical storytelling in Classical art. Our analysis will examine the function of style and iconography in the formulation and legibility of visual narrative, but we will additionally consider the nuanced connotations of specific legendary figures and/or episodes within varied historical/socio-political contexts. Prior exposure to the Classical tradition 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 107 | ROMAN ART & ARCHITECTURE | KENNEDY-QUIGLEY, S. | This course will survey the art and architecture of the Roman civilization from its 8th century B.C.E. inception through the age of Constantine. The course will be structured chronologically, examining monuments within the context of Roman religion, history, and politics, with particular attention to the function of visual art, whether public or private, as an expression of the patron’s loyalties, ideals, ambitions, and identity. Prior exposure to the Classical tradition 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 BEAUTY | BAUER, D. | The course explores philosophical, religious, and scientific writings on beauty, vision, aesthetics, and the senses by prominent Islamic and Christian thinkers during the Middle Ages. The course aims, among other things, to provide a comparison of Islamic and Christian aesthetic thought, and to reflect on the relations between aesthetic thought and actual production and reception of art. |
| ART HIS 134D | EUROPEAN ART:1907-1940 | WOODS, N. | This upper-division lecture course will trace the developments in painting, sculpture, and photography in Western Europe from the turn of the 19th century to the beginning of the Second World War. It will cover the aesthetic ambitions of Cubism, German Expressionism, Surrealism, and the Russian avant-garde, situating them within the social, political, and historical contexts in which they arose. The history of 20th century modernism will also be traced through the development of mass-media technologies (radio, film, television) as they coincided with advanced art practices. A midterm exam, final exam, and short research paper are all required for this class. |
| ART HIS 155D | NORTH INDIAN PAINTING | STEIN, DEBORAH | Persia and North India. Starting from Safavid Iran, we will explore well-known manuscripts and albums such as the Persian “Book of Kings”, the patronage of the Mughal emperor Akbar, painterly production at the time when Shah Jahan sponsored the Taj Mahal, the story of Krishna from the Pahari Hills, and recipe books, such as the Nimat Nama from Malwa. A general knowledge of regional painting styles will lead to study of some of the most important theories about Indian painting—indigenous aesthetics, artistic agency and the workshop, feminist approaches, and iconicity. One pre-exam, mid-term examination, one museum and one library visit, two in-class peer writers’ workshops, and one 3-5 page paper, which will count as part of the final examination. This course will emphasize ideas over memorization. No prerequisite. |
| ART HIS 164E | AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND PHOTOGRAPHY | COOKS CUMBO, B. | This course explores the ways in which African Americans have been depicted and have depicted the world around them through photography. Students will examine the history of photography in relationship to African American culture through a variety of media from early daguerreotype processes to digital imagery. The course focuses on African American photographers' experiences, perspectives, and strategies for representation in visual culture. Students will use course readings and class discussions as the primary means of investigating the ideas discussed. |
| ART HIS 165B | AMERICAN ART DURING THE GILDED AGE | WHITING, C. | Spanning the period from the beginning of the Civil War until the end of the nineteenth century, this course covers artists such as Winslow Homer, who were closely associated with certain regions of the United States, and artists such as Mary Cassatt, who spent most of their careers abroad. We consider how artists were educated in the United States, why they traveled to Europe and/or chose to live permanently abroad, and how some of them became public celebrities. At the same time we will consider patrons of the arts, including those who collected art and those who helped establish the first art museums in the United States. The emergence of art museums, galleries, auction houses, and critics, and their conflicting commercial and educational goals will also be discussed. |
| ART HIS 167 | POST WORLD WAR II LATIN-AMERICAN ART | ALDANA, E. | This course addresses the history of Latin American art from 1950 to the present, situating this history within the larger context of social and political events taking place at the time. Important themes in the class will include: the end of modernist projects in Latin America and the question of whether or not modernism “failed” in this region, the influence of the Cuban Revolution and the development of a “Third World” aesthetic, and the relationship between artistic movements in Latin America and those occurring in the United States and Europe, including abstraction, Pop Art, and conceptualism. We will focus in particular on the development of Latin American conceptualism, as discussed in Luis Camnitzer’s book Conceptualism in Latin American Art: Didactics of Liberation. Our discussions will primarily include art from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, and the United States, keeping in mind that this course represents an overview of current English-language scholarship on postwar Latin American art, rather than an attempt at comprehensive analysis. |
| ART HIS 190W | PRACTICUM FOR MAJORS | COOKS CUMBO, B. | The Art History Practicum, a required course for Art History Majors, has the dual purpose of closely examining the tools, methods, and approaches of the art historian, and strengthening writing skills and strategies. Students will investigate the major methodologies employed by art historians and their implications for how we understand the work of art through analytic readings, presentations, and discussion. 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. |