Although it would be logical to move from History of Art 101 to History of Art 102, either History of Art 101 or 102 along with History of Art 103 and 108 serve as a satisfactory introduction to the history of art.
Course requirements and texts vary with individual instructors, but an effort is always made to introduce students to works of art in the collections of the university as well as in the museums of Detroit and Toledo. Most of the upper division courses in history of art require one of these three introductory courses as a prerequisite. The introductory courses are directed toward students interested in the general history of culture and are especially valuable cognates for students in the fields of history, philosophy, literature, and musicology as well as the creative arts. Photographic material is available for study in the Fine Arts Study Room in the Modern Languages Building. Examinations usually include short essays and slides which are to be identified, compared, and discussed.
101. Near Eastern and European Art from the Stone Age to the End of the
Middle Ages. (4). (HU).
This course offers an introduction to major monuments and periods of
art from antiquity through the Middle Ages. Its purpose is not only to acquaint
students with key works of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Romanesque,
and Gothic art and architecture, but also to help them develop a vocabulary
for the description and analysis of works of art, and to provide them with
a basic understanding of the methods and aims of art historical study. Lectures
will be supplemented by weekly discussion sections on readings drawn from
a general art historical survey and a course pack. Written work will consist
of two short papers on objects in the Kelsey Museum and the Museum of Art;
there will be a midterm and a final examination. This course, with History
of Art 102, is meant to provide a foundation in the history of western art
and will be useful to students taking higher level courses in the department.
Cost:2 WL:4 (Sears)
102. Western Art from the End of the Middle Ages to the Present. No
credit granted to those who have completed 104 and 105, or 150. Two credits
granted to those who have completed one of 104 or 105. (4). (HU).
This course is a survey of topics in European and American Art from
the late 14th century to the present, as well as an introduction to the
techniques of art history. It will examine institutions such as patronage
and the art market, the changing roles of artists in society, and the changing
functions of art. Weekly discussion sections will be devoted to building
skills in visual analysis and critical reading of art-historical literature.
Requirements: informed participation in section meetings, regular reading
assignments, three short papers, midterm, and a final examination. There
are no prerequisites for this course. Cost:3 WL:4 (Zurier)
103. Arts of Asia. (4). (HU).
This course will take a topical approach to the arts of Asia rather
than attempt a broad survey. One segment will trace the transmission of
Buddhist arts (particularly architecture, painting, and sculpture) across
northern Asia from the tradition's origins in India across China and into
Japan. The Ming/Qing capital of Beijing and the Tokugawa capital of Edo
(modern Tokyo) will be analyzed as symbols of political power. The course
will also examine the social values inscribed in secular painting and graphic
arts such as Chinese landscape painting, Indian miniatures, and Japanese
wood block prints. Course work will include two short essays, a midterm
and a final exam. No prerequisites. Freshmen and sophomores especially welcome.
Cost:2 WL:4 (Reynolds)
108/CAAS 108. Introduction to African Art.
(4). (HU).
This course offers a general introduction to the arts of African cultures
south of the Sahara desert. It reviews the history of African art from about
10,000 B.C. through the twentieth century. The survey is based on a carefully
selected corpus comprising prehistoric rock paintings and engravings, old
and recent sculptures in terracotta, metal, wood, and ivory; and textile
and bodily arts. While it adopts an historical approach, it will also explore
some prevailing themes in African art, such as African approaches to representation
and the social function and meaning of art. Last, it will highlight a number
of significant cultural transformations that resulted from contact between
African peoples and western societies. Scheduled lectures will be supplemented
with written and reading assignments, videofilms, tours of African art exhibitions
in museums and private collections in the Detroit area. Cost:2 WL:4 (Quarcoopome)
112/Art 112. History of Photography. (3). (HU).
This lecture course will explore the history of photography of the 19th
and 20th centuries through a comparative study of photographs, photographers,
and theories about the nature of photography. The goal is to create an understanding
of the themes and issues, concepts and context associated with the image
making - from American and international perspectives. One intent is that
at the end of the study the student should be aware of some of the diverse
concerns in present day photography and be able to identify its origins
and influences. The class should interest students from a wide range of
disciplines. Students will supplement lecture and readings with a multi-media
computer-based "learning module," museum visits, film viewings,
and by participation in small discussion groups. Grades will be based on
a three short papers and a final exam. (Kusnerz)
194. First Year Seminar. (3). (HU).
Section 001 - Zen Icons? Zen Art? This seminar will explore the arts
associated with medieval and early modern Zen Buddhism in China and Japan.
Students will be introduced to an established canon of landscape and figure
paintings, works of calligraphy, sculptures, buildings, gardens, and Japanese
tea ceremony arts that have been termed "Zen" by modern scholars
and asked to explore the theoretical underpinnings of the field of "Zen
art." Why are these works associated with Zen Buddhism and not others?
Is there a spiritual core to "the art of Zen"? What does it mean
to talk about spirituality and art? We will then explore the setting of
the Zen monastery and direct our attention to religious objects such as
painted and sculpted icons often ignored by modern writers because they
are not easily subsumed under the modern category of "Zen art."
Course requirements include weekly readings and short written assignments,
class participation, and a final paper. Cost:3 WL:4 (Sharf)
221/Class. Arch. 221. Introduction to Greek Archaeology. (4).
(HU).
See Classical Archaeology
221. (Pedley)
271. European Painting of the Nineteenth Century. (3). (HU).
This course examines a series of remarkable episodes in modern European
painting, from the assorted exploits of Classicism and Romanticism to the
antagonistic emergence of Realism and Impressionism. The Nineteenth Century
is the period during which modern art developed its characteristic strategies
and behavioral patterns: an apparent insistence on innovation, originality
and individuality: a contentious involvement with tradition; a critical
relationship with both institutional and commercial culture; and a somewhat
strained allegiance with radical politics and alternative subcultures. It
is also the period that witnessed a thorough-going reassessment of visual
representation, and a parallel concern with the designed to encourage close
readings of images (by David, Gericault, Manet, Degas, Cezanne, et al.)
within the parameters of both historical context and recent critical debate.
Cost:2 WL:4 (Lay)
284. Introduction to Asian Painting. (3). (HU).
Landscape and figure painting in China was at first inspired by myth
and nature. As the centuries wore on, the "ink play" of a dark
brush moving freely across white silk or paper became its own source of
inspiration. Although Japan, at different stages in history, was an enthusiastic
heir to Chinese traditions, distinct forms of narrative scrolls, golden
screen paintings, and prints depicting the pleasure quarters of Tokyo captured
more of the Japanese spirit than the scope of Chinese painting could allow.
In India, miniature paintings of nobles, gods, and kings developed from
a history of manuscript illustrations completely different from the Chinese
and Japanese interests. These three painting traditions from China, Japan,
and India will form the core of the survey of Asian painting. There will
be weekly assignments, some of which consist of "building" a longer
paper, step by step. Grades are based on these assignments and class participation.
No hour exams nor final exam. Books: Tarao Miyagawa, Chinese Painting
and Terakazu Akiyama, Japanese Painting. (Mannikka)