Chair: Kathleen A. Corrigan
Professors J. M. Jordan, J. Kenseth; Associate Professors A. Cohen, K. A. Corrigan, A. F. Hockley, A. W. B. Randolph, A. Rosenthal; Assistant Professor M. K. Coffey; Senior Lecturer M. E. Heck; Lecturers S. E. Kangas, K. M. O’Rourke; Visiting Professor R. Hillenbrand; Adjunct Assistant Professor J. L. Carroll.
Consult the Department Administrator, Betsy Alexander, for further information.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR
Prerequisite: Two courses from Art History 1, 2, 3, or 4.
Requirements: One Studio Art course; six Art History courses, each from a different area (Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Modern, Asian); two seminars in Art History, one of which must be either Art History 85 or 86, which will serve as the Major Culminating Experience; and one other upper level Art History course. (Classical Studies 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26 may be substituted for this other course.) N.B.: Art History 1, 2, 3, and 4 may serve only as major prerequisite courses.
Art History majors must complete a Major Worksheet, to be filed with the Department. This sheet is available in the Department office.
Students who contemplate applying for admission to graduate schools in Art History should realize that competency in German and in French or Italian is normally required for admission to such schools.
MODIFIED MAJOR
The following requirements apply to Art History as either the primary or secondary department of a modified major. In each case the program should constitute an intellectually coherent whole. The Registrar’s Office requires a written statement explaining the rationale for the courses selected for the modified major. A copy of this statement must be filed with the Art History Department along with the major card. Modified majors must also file a Modified Major Worksheet with the Department. This sheet is available in the Department office.
Art History Modified
Prerequisite: Two courses from Art History 1, 2, 3, or 4.
Requirements: Seven Art History courses: four which meet the departmental distribution requirement described above (i.e., four out of six categories); one of either Art History 85 or 86 (constituting the Major Culminating Experience); two other courses, of which one may be a Studio Art course. An Art History seminar (Art History 80-84) is not required, but is strongly encouraged. N.B.: Art History 1, 2, 3, and 4 may serve only as major prerequisite courses. Four courses, selected in consultation with the Art History adviser, will be taken in the secondary (modifying) department(s), with whatever prerequisites they require.
Another Major Modified with Art History
Prerequisite: One course: Art History 1, 2, 3, or 4.
Requirements: Four Art History courses selected in consultation with the adviser in the primary department.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR
Prerequisite: One or two courses from Art History 1, 2, 3, or 4.
Requirements: Four Art History courses, which must meet the departmental distribution requirement described above (i.e., four out of six categories). If only one prerequisite is taken, any additional Art History course may be taken as the sixth course. An Art History seminar (Art History 80-84) is not required, but is strongly encouraged. N.B.: Art History 1, 2, 3, and 4 may serve only as prerequisite courses. Art History minors must complete a Minor Worksheet, which is available in the Department office.
TRANSFER CREDIT
Transfer credit is granted at the discretion of the Department Chair. Preference will be given to courses in areas not regularly taught in the Department.
HONORS PROGRAM
To be eligible for the Honors Program, a student must have achieved by the end of the junior year a 3.2 general College average and a 3.4 average in all Art History courses. A candidate for admission to the Honors Program must, in either the spring preceding or in the fall of his/her senior year, consult with a potential adviser and submit a written and in-person presentation to the whole Art History faculty of his/her proposed Honors project. Admission or non-admission to the Honors Program will subsequently be determined by a vote of the faculty. The Program will consist of an advanced project of study under Art History 90-91 (only one of which may be counted as part of the major), taken during two consecutive terms in the senior year.
Students are strongly encouraged to initiate discussion with an appropriate faculty adviser as early as possible in the junior year.
FOREIGN STUDY PROGRAM
In order that students may have an opportunity to study art history in direct contact with original works of art, the Department conducts a Foreign Study Program during the spring term. Based in Rome, one of Europe’s richest artistic centers, with a continuous evolution from antiquity to the present, the program examines the monuments of the city, their creators, their patrons, and their various audiences.
This program is open to all students, the prerequisites being Italian 1 (or its equivalent) and one of the following: Art History 1, 21, 22, 25, 30, 31, 35. The program consists of two Art History courses (Art History 10 and 11), which may be counted toward the major, and a course in The Language and Culture of Rome (Art History 12). Interested students should contact Professors Cohen, Corrigan, Kenseth, or Randolph as early as possible in their academic careers.
1. Introduction to the History of Art I
04F, 05F: 11
A study of the basic problems in the understanding and criticism of architecture, sculpture, the graphic arts, and painting in Western and non-Western cultures. The course introduces the student to the basic terminology of the arts, the language of stylistic criticism, and the relationship of the arts to each other and to their historical background.
Art History 1 will concentrate on historical periods prior to 1500. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Carroll, Kangas.
2. Introduction to the History of Art II
05W, 06W: 11
A survey of art and architecture from 1500 to the present. The course introduces the student to the basic terminology of the arts, the language of stylistic criticism, and the relationship of the arts to each other and to their historical background. Art History 1 is not prerequisite to Art History 2. Priority for enrollment is given to first- and second-year students. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Coffey, Kenseth.
3. Monuments of Asian Art
05F: 10
An introduction to the arts of India, China, and Japan through the examination of representative examples of sculpture, architecture, painting, and pottery. In addition to the analysis of stylistic features, this course will emphasize the cultural and religious contexts within which these artistic traditions developed. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Hockley.
4. History of Architecture
05S: 11 06W: 2
A comparative study of several architectural styles past and present, Western and Non- Western. Consideration will be given to a variety of building types ranging from the monumental to the residential. Dist: ART. Heck, Hockley.
7. First-Year Seminars in Art History
Consult special listings
10. Foreign Study I
05S, 06S: D.F.S.P.
Themes in the History of Roman Art (pending faculty approval). This course entails the onsite examination of mosaics, paintings and sculptures of particular art historical interest. The approach will be thematic, with emphasis falling on major issues within the History of Art. These may include narrative, iconography, social history, gender, perception, patronage, and formal analysis.
Prerequisite: membership in the Foreign Study Program. Randolph.
11. Foreign Study II
05S, 06S: D.F.S.P.
Roman Architecture. Rome offers a broad array of building types, architectural styles and urban spaces. This course introduces students to the principles of architectural analysis, while simultaneously plotting out a history of Roman architecture and urbanism. The course will begin with the study of ancient architecture. It will, however, focus on the evolution of architectural practices and forms during the late Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque.
Prerequisite: membership in the Foreign Study Program. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. The staff.
12. Foreign Study III
05S, 06S: D.F.S.P.
The Language and Culture of Rome (pending faculty approval). This course is equivalent to Italian 2. This course aims at expanding students’ knowledge of Italian language and culture. It begins with a review of basic verb forms and moves on to explore new tenses and moods. Throughout, students engage in practical exercises geared to improve their oral and written expression, as well as enhance their vocabularies. All classes will be conducted in Italian. Note that this course may not be counted as part of the Art History major.
Prerequisite: membership in the Foreign Study Program. The staff.
16. Special Topics in the History of Art
05S: 10, 2 05X: 10A 05F: Arrange 06W: 11 06S: 2A
In 05S, Section 1 at 10, Survey of North American Art: 20th Century. This course provides a chronological survey of works of art produced in Canada, Mexico, and the United States over the course of the 20th century. The course is organized around the relationship between visual culture and politics. For example, we ask how and why certain aesthetic choices, such as abstraction or figuration, come to signify “democratic freedom” or “socialist commitment” at different points in time. Major themes addressed in and through the art we discuss will be: Nationalism, Pan-Americanism, the Cultural Cold War, Mass and Consumer Culture, Institutional and Corporate Critique, Civil Rights Movements, Identity Politics, and the Culture Wars. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: NA. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Coffey.
In 05S, Section 2 at 2, Paris in the Nineteenth Century. This course will examine the city of Paris as the artistic capital of the nineteenth century. We will touch on many of the major movements of the century in painting, architecture, and graphic art: Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Barbizon, Realism, Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism. The course will also look at alternative art practices and exhibitions as they challenged the status quo and became the basis of modern art. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. O’Rourke.
In 05X, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. In the second half of the nineteenth century Paris was regarded as the quintessentially modern city and the capital of the art world. Artists around the world turned to Paris in search of new modes of representation. This course will explore the radical and influential developments in painting, sculpture, print media and exhibition culture by examining some of the major artists (including Cassatt, Courbet, Degas, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Morisot, Pissarro, Rodin, van Gogh, Valadon), as well as artistic movements, ideas and techniques of the period. In this discussion-based seminar, students will be introduced to a critical art historical vocabulary, skills of visual analysis, and guided in writing creatively and critically on visual culture. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Rosenthal.
In 05F, Art and Artists in Fiction (Identical to Comparative Literature 61, pending faculty approval). This course will examine literary representations of art works, artists, and the art world in fictional texts of the 19th and 20th centuries. A set of underlying themes and structures will be developed within different national literary traditions. These include the role of art and the artist in changing societies; the nature of the work of art; literary discourses of the visible (description, ekphrasis); the artist as the shadow of the writer; and the role of women in institutional structures. Dist: LIT. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Schoell Glass.
In 06W, Contemporary Arts of Asia. This course disputes the view long-held by Euramerican scholars and critics that the arts of twentieth-century Asia are little more than second- rate derivatives of Western traditions. Focusing on art produced since WW II, and considering both traditional and new media, this course examines the role of visual art in the construction of Asian modernities and national identities. Lectures and readings will be concerned primarily with recent developments in the arts of Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Some consideration will be given South and South East Asia. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Hockley.
In 06S, Gothic Art and Architecture. Characterized by rising urbanism, a growing middle class and developed political states, the Gothic period combines elements of medieval and early modern worlds. This course will explore the influence of new patrons and institutions on the era’s art, the art’s reflection of the period’s religious and political reality, and the popularity of new, more secular subject matter. The works covered will encompass both massive public projects, such as Chartres Cathedral, and the personal, private taste found on ivory mirror backs. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Carroll.
17. Special Topics in the History of Art
05W: 10 05S: 10A, 10A 05F: 12 06S: 10A
In 05W, The Japanese Print Tradition. This course will survey the Japanese print tradition from its inception in the 17th century through to the early 20th century. The range of visual material will include courtesan imagery, actor prints, erotica, illustrated fiction, warrior imagery, comic prints and landscapes. Emphasis will be on the relationship between the prints and the many social, political and cultural milieux in which they circulated. This course will include applications of recent critiques and theoretical approaches from fields as diverse as sexuality and gender studies, mass culture and media studies, aesthetics of popular arts, and the sociology of consumption. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Hockley.
In 05S at 10A (Section 1), Contemporary Arts of Asia. This course disputes the view long-held by Euramerican scholars and critics that the arts of twentieth-century Asia are little more than second-rate derivatives of Western traditions. Focusing on art produced since WW II, and considering both traditional and new media, this course examines the role of visual art in the construction of Asian modernities and national identities. Lectures and readings will be concerned primarily with recent developments in the arts of Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Some consideration will be given South and South East Asia. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Hockley.
In 05S at 10A (Section 2), Islamic Art and Architecture (pending faculty approval). Hillenbrand.
In 05F, The Blue Rider Group. The Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter) was an international group of expressionists whose work was centered in Munich, around 1912. The class will study the paintings of Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter, Franz Marc, August Macke, and Paul Klee; the group’s exhibitions; and the wide-ranging theoretical statements they published in fin-de-siècle, pre-war Munich. Jordan.
In 06S, Michelangelo (pending faculty approval). Kenseth.
20. The Art of Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Near East
04F: 2A
A study of painting, sculpture, architecture, and occasionally minor arts in the Near East and Egypt from prehistory through approximately the first millennium B.C.E. The course aims at a parallel treatment of the Egyptian and various Near Eastern civilizations, especially those that developed in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Syria/Palestine, and Iran. Special attention will be paid to the cultural contacts among different ancient centers at key moments in history, as conjured up by individual monuments. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Kangas.
21. The Art of Greece: Prehistoric to Classical
05W, 06W: 10A
The course treats chronologically the history of Greek art from its beginnings to the end of the fifth century B.C. The principal monuments of architecture, sculpture, and painting will be examined in terms of style, theme, and context. The question will be posed as to how Greek art came to serve Greek society, while some attention will also be given to the ways in which the classical tradition has persistently served later cultures. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Kangas.
22. Late Classical and Hellenistic Art in the Greek World
06S: 10A
The course examines the principal works of painting, sculpture, and architecture of the fourth through the first centuries B.C. This period marks the change from democracy to an age of kings and empire in the Greek world, a change associated with the rise of Macedonia as the dominant political and cultural force in Greece. In the reign of Alexander the Great, Macedonian power—and with it Greek civilization—expanded beyond the borders of Greece to encompass Egypt and the Near East. Particular emphasis will be given to recent discoveries in northern Greece of important monuments associated with the court of Alexander, his father Philip, and some of his immediate successors. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Cohen.
25. Roman Art
05S: 12
A study of architecture, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts in Rome and the Empire from the Republican period through the second century A.D. Such issues as the influence of the Etruscan and Greek traditions, stylistic change and its determinants, and the role of art in Roman society will be considered in relation to both the great public monuments of Republican and Imperial Rome and the works made for private individuals. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Corrigan.
30. Early Christian Art
05W: 2A
A study of painting, sculpture, architecture, and the minor arts in the Mediterranean from the third through seventh centuries. Emphasis will be placed on the role of art in late antique society, especially in the process of transformation from the classical to the medieval world. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Corrigan.
31. Byzantine Art
05F: 2
A study of painting, sculpture, architecture, and the minor arts of Byzantium from the period of Iconoclasm to the fall of Constantinople. Emphasis will be placed on the use of art during this period to express the beliefs and goals of the church and the state and to satisfy private devotional needs. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Corrigan.
35. Medieval Art
Not offered in the period from 04F through 06S
36. Italian Medieval Art
Not offered in the period from 04F through 06S
40. The Early Renaissance in Italy
05X: 2A
A study of painting, sculpture, and architecture in Italy during the 15th century. We will consider the technical, stylistic, and thematic developments that occurred in art of this period, relating them to such forces as the rise of humanism, the changing status of the artist, and the varying expectations of the artists’ patrons. Among the principal artists whose works will be included in the course are Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Masaccio, Donatello, Alberti, Fra Angelico, Piero della Francesca, Verrocchio, Botticelli, Mantegna, and Giovanni Bellini. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Randolph.
41. Northern Renaissance Art
05S: 2A
A survey of the major monuments of painting, sculpture, and the graphic arts in the Low Countries, Germany, and France, from the late fourteenth century through the Reformation. Content as well as style is examined in the light of its relation to social transformation and the cultural evolution of the period. Emphasis is placed on the work of such significant personalities as the van Eycks, van der Weyden, Bosch, Bruegel, Grünewald, Dürer, and Holbein. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Carroll.
42. The High Renaissance and Mannerism in Italy
Not offered in the period from 04F through 06S
45. Southern Baroque Art
06W: 2A
A survey of painting and sculpture from 1600-1700. This course focuses upon the art of Caravaggio and his followers in Italy and Spain; the Carracci and the development of 17th century classicism; Bernini and the High Baroque, and the art of French visitors to Italy. Special emphasis is given to the relation that the painting and sculpture of this time has to 17th century poetry, theatre, science and the aims of the reformed Catholic Church. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. s Kenseth.
46. Northern Baroque Art
04F: 10A
Painting in Flanders and Holland from 1600 to 1700. This course considers the naturalistic tradition from Caravaggio’s northern followers to the Haarlem School of Hals; the art of Rembrandt; the classical genre of Vermeer and the Delft School; Rubens and the Flemish High Baroque. The growth of specialized genres of painting and the differing aesthetic aims of Dutch and Flemish painters are viewed against the background of the Protestant reformation and the rise of a mercantile society. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Kenseth.
48. Gender, Race and Politics in 18th-century Visual Culture
05W: 10A
The course seeks to examine the interaction in eighteenth-century Europe between the visual arts and politics, social history, literature and philosophy. Emphasizing British, Italian and French visual culture, the course will offer a wide overview by addressing different genres, media, patronage patterns, and contexts of production and reception. The project includes the scrutiny of works by (among others) Hogarth, Reynolds, Kauffman, Watteau, Carriera, Boucher, Fragonard, Vigee-Lebrun and David. Topics include: the changing nature of the public sphere, the representation of history, and ideologies of race, gender, and private and domestic life. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Rosenthal.
50. Social History of North American Art: Colonial Era to 1900
04F: 12
This course surveys works of art produced in North America from the 16th century to 1900 in what are today identified as the nation-states of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. The course is structured chronologically around themes that enable comparison between works of art, genres, and artists across temporal, geographic, and cultural differences. In addition to treating the development of Anglo-American culture and identity, the course also explores the influence of Dutch, Spanish, and French settlers as well as Native American, African, and Asian contributions to North American art. Developments in painting, sculpture, and architecture will be considered along with photography, the graphic arts, folk traditions, and material culture. Special emphasis will be placed on the intersections of race, nation, gender, and class as they are elaborated in and through visual culture. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: NA. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Coffey.
51. Visions of Modernity: The Nineteenth Century
Not offered in the period from 04F through 06S
52. Building America: An Architectural and Social History (Identical to History 34)
05W: 2
This course draws upon recent scholarship in anthropology, archaeology, material culture, social history and architectural history in its review of five centuries of American architecture. Course lectures not only emphasize America’s principal architects and their designs, but also summarize the social and cultural forces that shaped the country’s built landscape. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: NA. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Heck.
53. Classic Modernism: Painting and Sculpture 1900-1914
Not offered in the period from 04F through 06S
54. The First Crisis of Modernism: Painting and Sculpture 1914-45
04F, 06W: 2
Art after the First World War: International Dada, Surrealism, Suprematism, Russian Constructivism, the Bauhaus. The further development of abstraction: Mondrian, De Stijl, Abstraction-Création, early modernism in New York. The idea of the avant-garde and inter- war struggles for leadership will be studied in theoretical and historical context. Readings in primary sources. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Jordan.
55. Late and Post-Modernism: Art from 1945 to the Present
05W: 2
Abstract Expressionism (the New York School) as culmination of the modernist tradition. The ‘Post-Pollock’ problem and reactions. Neo-Dada, Pop Art, Hard Edge, Minimalism, Conceptual, New Realism, Neo-Expressionism, Appropriationism, recent movements. Considerations of Modernism and Post-Modernism; problems of the late avant-garde; and changing relationships between the artist and society. Extensive readings in contemporary theory and criticism. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: NA. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Jordan.
59. Modern Architecture
04F: 11
Architectural historians disagree about the origins of the modern era. For many, “modern” suggests principally the built works of the 20th century. Others find the great projects of the 19th-century industrial revolution a more suitable place to begin. Still others—as will we—push the beginnings of “modern” architectural thought and practice back to the late 18th century. In this way we place architectural transformation in the context of the great changes taking place in the political, artistic, social and intellectual life of the period.
This course approaches architecture as a cultural product and investigates the relationship between buildings, the ideas embodied in buildings and the cultures that designed them. We will chart the history of modern design from the Age of Enlightenment to the present. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Heck.
60. The Arts of China
05W: 12
Intended as a general introduction to Chinese art and culture, this course will survey major artistic developments from neolithic times to the Republican period. Among the topics to be considered are Shang and Chou bronzes, Buddhist sculpture, and the evolution of landscape painting from the Han to Ch’ing Dynasties. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Hockley.
61. The Arts of Japan
Not offered in the period from 04F through 06S
80, 81, 82, 83, 84. Advanced Seminars in Art History
Intensive study of special fields in art history. Open to all classes without prerequisite (except as noted), but with the permission of the instructor.
80. 04F: 2A. History of Museums and Collecting.
This seminar will offer a close look at the history of museums and collecting from cabinets of curiosity to modern times. The emphasis will be on the early history of museums and on their theoretical and philosophical foundations. The course will also look at more recent developments in museums, including visits to museums and collections in New York, Boston, and elsewhere. Kenseth.
81. 05F: 2A. Asian Photography. Hockley.
82. 05W: 2A. The Neoclassical Ideal. Rosenthal.
83. Not offered in the period from 04F through 06S
84. 06S: 2A. A topic in modern art. Jordan.
85. Senior Seminar in Art Historical Method and Practice
04F, 05F: 3A. Dist: ART. Coffey.
86. Senior Seminar in Art Historical Method and Practice
05W, 06W: 3A. Dist: ART. Randolph.
89. Independent Study
All terms: Arrange
Independent Study is intended for advanced students who have demonstrated their ability to do independent research in art history and who wish to study some topic in greater depth than is possible in a regularly scheduled course or seminar. The Independent Study project should be preceded by at least one Art History course in an area related to the topic under consideration, and may even develop out of that course. A student interested in undertaking Independent Study must first submit a proposal to the faculty member with whom he or she wishes to study. Assuming agreement by that faculty member, the proposal will then be reviewed by the entire Art History faculty. Ordinarily, this must be done in the term immediately preceding the term in which the Independent Study course will be taken. The Independent Study course cannot be used to fulfill any of the requirements for the Art History major or minor.
90-91. Honors
04F, 05W, 05S, 05F, 06W, 06S: Arrange
A sequence of two courses devoted to independent research and the writing of a thesis or execution of a project under direction of a departmental adviser. Students admitted to and participating in the departmental honors program must take these courses in consecutive terms of the senior year.
Prerequisite: consult the statement of the Art History Honors Program. Only one of these courses may be counted as part of the major in Art History. Corrigan.