| Course | Title | Instructor | Description |
|---|
| ART HIS 40B | MEDIEVAL & RENAISS | POWELL, A. | 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 | ARTS OF CHINA | 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, proceeding chronologically and thematically. 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. |
| ART HIS 110 | PAGAN ICONOGRAPHY | KENNEDY-QUIGLE, S. | Art History 110: Pagan Iconography in Early Christian Art This course will consider the survival of pagan imagery in early Christian art (ca. 300-700 C.E.). As a product of Late Antiquity, Christian art was necessarily influenced by contemporary Greco-Roman visual culture. Our aim will be to identify examples of this phenomenon and to consider how and why distinct components of the pre-existing pagan visual language were chosen, altered/re-contextualized, and understood by Christian patrons, artists, and audiences. Prior exposure to the art and/or civilizations of Late Antiquity, Rome, Greece, and/or Egypt 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 120 | A RENAISSANCE OF BEAUTY | MAZE, D. | This course considers the birth of aesthetics in early modern Western art. Our focus will be fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Italian painting, sculpture, and architecture, augmented by comparative case studies from other cultures and time periods. Art objects in the early Renaissance were valued primarily for their specific functions, which could be religious, social, civic, or political. By the end of the Renaissance, however, works of art might be enjoyed principally for their beauty. Together we will examine recent theories that describe the process of this transformation, contemplate whether our modern aesthetic effectively transcends the relativism of individual cultures and time periods to be a valid criterion of "good" art, and consider whether the Renaissance did indeed give rise to a uniquely modern conception of beauty. |
| ART HIS 134C | EUROP 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. |
| ART HIS 150 | PHOTOG IN EAST ASIA | WUE, R. | This course will investigate the roles and history of photography primarily in China, Japan and Korea, from its arrival in the mid-19th century through the 20th century. We will examine the uses of photography in the service of journalism and news reporting, ethnography and geography, science, propaganda, tourism, entertainment, and of course, art. Beginning with Western photographers’ images of a distant “Orient,” this course will conclude with the uses of photography in contemporary Asian art, especially themes of national and personal identities and commentary on traditions. |
| ART HIS 165C | AMER ART:1900-1965 | WHITING, C. | Focusing on the period from 1900 until 1965, this course considers the emergence and institutionalization of modern art in the United States. We will look at the transformation of New York City into an international art capital with new galleries, museums, and little magazines devoted to modern art as well as the visual representation of the modern city by both abstract and realist artists. The relationship between New York City as a new art capital and various regional outposts where artists rediscovered native and folk arts will be discussed. Finally, we will also analyze the transatlantic exchange between New York City and European capitals of art, with particular attention to those American artists such as Marsden Hartley who participated in the European avant-garde and those European artists such as Marcel Duchamp who spent time in New York. |
| ART HIS 190W | PRACTCUM FOR MAJORS | KENNEDY-QUIGLE, S. | As a required course for Art History Majors, the Art History Practicum is designed to facilitate student investigation of the methods of the art historian and improvement of writing skills and strategies. Through critical reading and discussion of a selection of art historical essays, students will develop an understanding of the major methodologies employed by art historians and their implications for how we understand works of art. Along with these close readings, students will practice their own analytical and writing skills through a series of paper assignments concerning art historical formats, including a final research paper. |