113/Art 113. Introduction to the Visual Arts. This course is for non art majors only. (2). (Excl).
Visual arts are a part of the human experience in all cultures and all time periods. The ability to appreciate, to understand, and to assess the quality of visual art can enrich a person's life and broaden one's thinking. This course will introduce students having no formal art or art historical background to the major forms of visual expression through human history from the Stone Age to the present. We will examine works of art in various media such as painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, architecture, graphics, and industrial design. Students will learn how artists use the language of form to communicate information, to express emotion, to explore the world of nature and the world of the mind. Students will learn the basic techniques of the various media. Students will learn how the art of a time and place defines and expands the boundaries of that culture. Assigned readings and visits to museums and galleries will help students become critical consumers of the visual culture as they learn to see, appreciate, and assess art forms. Requirements include periodic quizzes, a final exam, and a term paper. Students will also make some ungraded drawings and paintings as analytical tools. Cost:3 WL:4 (Kapetan)
394. Special Topics. (3). (Excl). May
be elected for credit more than once.
Section 101 – The Body and Sexuality in the Art of the Ancient
World. Ancient understandings of the human body and human
sexuality as seen through artistic evidence will be the focus
of this course. In the ancient world, depictions of the human
body were shaped by the understanding of the body and its functions
in the culture that produced them. These ideas about the body
also shaped ancient notions of sexuality and the depiction of
sexuality in art. Through lectures, discussion and examination
of objects in the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, the course will
explore artistic evidence for ancient conceptions of the human
body and how these in turn affected conceptions and understanding
of sexuality. The course will emphasize a variety of methodological
approaches to the evidence, encouraging and equipping the students
to treat the ancient sources critically. Student evaluation will
be based on a short paper and an exam; there are no prerequisites
for this course. (Wilfong)
Section 102 – "Little Buddha" & Other Stories:
Visual Narrative in Asia. Everyone tells stories. We order
and give meaning to our lives by telling and retelling, making
and remaking our life stories and those of the world around us.
This course explores the rich and diverse visual narrative traditions
in Asian art, concentrating on works of art from China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia. The narratives chosen range from painted
and sculpted mural cycles in the architectural space of public
monuments to individual handscrolls and manuscripts with more
limited and private audiences. In addition to examining how these
conditions of artistic consumption affect the narrative structures
and strategies in the works of art in question, we will locate
each work of art in its particular cultural context including
its patron and/or maker and its consumers and consider the application
of narrative theory to Asian visual narratives. Classes will include
both lectures and discussions. Evaluation will be by means of
two short papers and a longer project. There is no textbook. Cost:1
WL:4 (Wood)
Section 103 – Transformations in Russian Architecture and Allied Art, 990-1990. In the course of its long and dynamic history, Russia emerged as a powerful, distinctive and creative civilization. Its cultural development was shaped by the country's geographic setting and the cross-penetration of eastern and western influences, which combined to define the successive eras and contexts of Russian creative activity. This course examines the leading tendencies in Russian architecture and allied art in three successive periods: Early Russian Architecture (990-1700), the Imperial Period (1700-1917), and the Soviet Period (1917-1991). Attention will be given to the influences of culture and ideology on Russian artistic creativity and on the transformation of native impulses and foreign influences in shaping the aims and styles on Russian architecture through the ages. One exam and a short essay will be required. Graduate students may elect to take the course as a 3-hour independent study (History of Art 600) with the instructor. (Senkevitch)
Section 104 – Image Scavengers: Collage & Appropriation in 20th Century Art. Collage (the incorporation of non-art or non-original materials into works of art) is arguably the most significant technical innovation of 20th century art. This course will introduce students to a broad cross-section of European and American art through the study of the related techniques of collage, assemblage, montage, construction, and appropriation. These techniques have been central to 20th century art's questioning of traditional conceptions of art and culture. Through the close examination of collage techniques in the visual arts, literature, film, and popular culture, students will develop an understanding of some of the central critical issues of both Modernism and Post-Modernism. Among the movements we will examine are: Cubism, Futurism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Constructivism, Pop Art, Conceptualism and Post-Modernism. The required assignments will consist of a 5-7 page term paper, and weekly questions related to class discussions and readings. There will also be an optional creative project. Cost:1 WL:4 (Wolf)
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