| Course | Title | Instructor | Description |
|---|
| ART HIS 40B | HIST OF WESTERN ART | MASSEY, L. | The history of Western Art is a year-long introduction to art and visual culture in the West from prehistory to the present. In Winter Quarter, the course focuses on the long period that extends from the end of the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Less a survey than a series of case studies of specific issues, monuments, and artists, the course will examine the emergence of Christian visual culture, its dialogue with other cultures, its questioning of the nature and validity of representation, and its eclipse by the modern “work of art” in the Renaissance. |
| ART HIS 42B | HIST OF ASIAN ART | WUE, R. | This course offers an introduction to art history through the art and visual culture of China from prehistoric times to the 20th century. We will examine how the religious, political, philosophical and cultural traditions of China are expressed, created and communicated by visual images and objects. The objectives of this class are not only to gain knowledge and understanding of these art works in a cultural and historical context, but also to develop visual analysis skills in looking at and interpreting Chinese art. Two exams, one visual analysis writing assignment, quizzes, and class participation. No prerequisite. |
| ART HIS 103 | CLASSICAL GREEK ART | KENNEDY-QUIGLEY, S. | This course will examine the art and architecture of the Greek civilization from the end of the Persian War to the death of Alexander “the Great” of Macedon (ca. 480-323 B.C.E.). Particular attention will be directed to how religion, politics, and historical events inform visual culture during the Classical Age. Organized chronologically, this investigation of art in context will trace the development and evolution of style, iconography, the human figure, propaganda in art, and viewer response. 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 110 | AT THE VERY EDGE: THE ART OF ISLAMIC SPAIN | BAUER, D. | At the Very Edge: The Art of Islamic Spain as a Furtive Introduction to `Islamic Art'
The course aims at introducing the problematics of Islamic art by focusing on the art of Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain), where cross-cultural encounters shaped an art that had simultaneously both indigenous and `Islamic’ characteristics. |
| ART HIS 114 | NEW PERSPECTIVES ON MEDIEVAL SCULPTURE | BAUER, D. | The ‘Death’ and ‘Rebirth’ of Sculpture during the Middle Ages: New Perspectives
This course provides an introduction to medieval sculpture. Adopting both chronological and thematic approaches, the course explores such problems pertaining to the sculpture of the Middle Ages as iconography, performance, production, reception, integration, artistic agency, as well as the question of continuity or rupture with precedent and subsequent artistic periods. |
| ART HIS 121 | LEONARDO AND MICHELANGELO | MASSEY, L. | The names Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti are associated with some of the greatest achievements of the Italian Renaissance: the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, the Pieta, the Sistine Chapel. Through their individual personalities and artworks, each artist has come to define what we imagine is the special and unique character of "the artist": an individual of extraordinary creativity, invention, skill, intellect and tortured mentality. Concepts like "artistic personality" or "artistic genius" are inventions of the Renaissance, and they emerged explicitly from the biographies of Leonardo and Michelangelo. And yet, while each artist consistently defied clients and expectations, experimented with sexual transgressions, and took artistic risks, each was also surprisingly adept at exploiting and conforming to social conventions. Exploring the myths, histories, artworks, sexuality, writings and reputations associated with these two artists, we will seek to understand how and why they achieved fame in their lifetimes and why they continue to hold our fascination to this day |
| ART HIS 134C | EUROPEAN ART: 1851-1907 | WOODS, N. | 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. |
| ART HIS 140A | CONTEMPORARY ART, 1960-2000S | SIEGELBAUM, S. | Despite the global economic crisis, the international art market is experiencing a boom,
largely thanks to the demand for what has become known as “Contemporary Art.” At the
same time, it has become more difficult than ever to distinguish “art” as a particular
category of objects or practices separate from other media, practices, or spaces. While
individuals engage in ever more complex uses and arrangements of images in their daily
lives, there is still a pervasive sense amongst the general public that Contemporary Art is
usually esoteric and elitist. How can we account for these seemingly contradictory
phenomena and how have artists responded to some of the major historical changes of the
past 50 years such as: globalization, deindustrialization, civil rights, feminism, gay rights,
information technology, economic crisis, youth culture, environmentalism, and 9/11? |
| ART HIS 162C | JAPANESE ART:1945-PRESENT | WINTHER, D. | An investigation of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, crafts and graphic design in Japan from WWII to the present. Topics to be considered include artistic responses to the war, avant-garde groups, corporate advertising, academic exhibition salons, meanings of abstraction and neo-traditional art. Three frameworks of investigation are employed: individual artists’ careers; specific historical movements or groups; social systems or institutions of art. This course acquaints students with Japanese perspectives on international developments of modern art as well as art world perspectives on Japanese cultural history. There will be a midterm exam, assignment, and final exam. |
| ART HIS 190W | PRACTICUM FOR MAJORS | PATEL, A. | 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. |