HISTORY OF ART 110 Tappan Hall 519 South State Street 48109-1357 Phone: (734) 764-5400 Fax: (734) 647-4121 Website: http://www.umich.edu/~hartspc/histart/ email: Director of Undergraduate Studies: Professor Ward Bissell (bisellw@umich.edu) Student Services Associate: Justine Altman (justine@umich.edu) Student Services Assistant: Bev Lange (blange@umich.edu)

The History of Art, in offering vivid perspectives on the course of human history, examines the wide range of things that people have made and looked at and endowed with meaning – from the imposing facade of an imperial palace, to the colorful glory of stained glass or an oil painting, to an artist's intimate sketches. The discipline encompasses the study of painting, sculpture, decorative arts, the graphic media, and architecture, as well as an extensive variety of visual forms outside of the traditional territory of "art" itself (for example, advertising, or ritual and ceremony, household furnishings, or popular entertainment). Students of art history become conversant with the world's cultures and develop skills in visual analysis in order to understand how images, objects, and built environments communicate. They also learn to employ a broad selection of interpretive methodologies.

African Dance Mask (UMMA 1983/2.162) Gold Mask from an Egyptian Mummy (Kelsey KM 88777) Diego Rivera, Hat Makers (UMMA 1964/2.42) Andy Warhol, Marilyn (UMMA 1969/1.84)

Among the questions art historians ask are: How do different cultures define art, the artist, and artistic quality? How do people construct an argument in paint or stone? How does one learn to look at and understand material objects produced by cultures other than one's own? How does art define or undermine ethical and political values? How does our understanding of a work change when it is removed from its original setting and placed in a private collection or a museum? How can we come to understand our own visual environment in new, more complex ways? The Department of the History of Art at the University of Michigan is distinguished by its long-standing commitment to the study of diverse cultures from around the world and its emphasis on the close analysis of the visual arts in relation to their historical and cultural contexts (Please click here for descriptions of some of the faculty's recent research projects). Many of our classes include field trips to museums and architectural sites, and hands-on work with original art objects and archival materials. Through careful work with original sources and a wide-ranging study of comparative cultures, our students learn to consider how art objects were understood in their own time and place, and how they continue to function in the contemporary world. In so doing, art history students become acute observers and interpreters of the visual environment.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Shao Mi, Waterfall on Mt. Kuang-lu, UMMA 1966/1.92

A concentration or double-major in the History of Art combines the emphasis on critical thinking, research, problem-solving, written expression, and cultural literacy of a traditional liberal arts program with the discipline's unique attention to visual analysis. It thus provides an excellent general foundation for work in a range of careers which rely on visual literacy as well as training in the humanities. Such employment opportunities include work in business, law, education, and advertising as well as the visually oriented fields of mass media and communications. A sharpening of one's capacities for observation and interpretation has also been of special benefit to students who go on to work in such fields as medicine or science. An undergraduate degree in art history also prepares students for work in many arts-related fields. Graduates of our program have pursued careers not only in the specialized areas of museums, galleries, auction houses, art restoration, and university teaching and research, but also in arts administration, art therapy, design, criticism, journalism, publishing, libraries, computer and digital technology, and historic preservation. For more information on careers in art history, please visit the department's Career Planning Resource Center in Tappan Hall or click here for reports from graduates of our program.

THE CONCENTRATION

General Objectives The objectives of the undergraduate program are to encourage: the ability to analyze works of art and their effects, both within their original settings and in subsequent contexts of reception an understanding of relationships and distinctions between the visual cultures of diverse civilizations an awareness of the social, religious, intellectual, and personal values that are embedded in art objects and other forms of visual culture an understanding of – and the ability to engage with – a wide range of critical methodologies and theoretical perspectives the ability to compare art and visual representation with other forms of human communication an understanding of the relations between art history and other disciplines an awareness of the impact of technology on the production, dissemination, and reception of art works and of visual culture in general

Sano di Pietro, Nativity of the Virgin, UMMA 1977/2.1

Professor Celeste Brusati teaching about Vermeer

Course of Study for History of Art Concentrators Undergraduate courses in the Department of the History of Art include lecture courses and first-year and upper-level seminars that provide opportunities for in-depth discussion and close analysis. Each concentrator works with an undergraduate advisor to devise a program of courses that balances broad, comparative knowledge of a variety of cultures with focused research and critical reading. These include two prerequisite courses drawn from our introductory 100 and 200-level offerings. (At the discretion of the undergraduate advisor, a suitable Advanced Placement score may substitute for one of these classes). Students then choose a selection of upper-level courses and seminars distributed over a range of geographical areas and chronological periods, while benefitting from a variety of methodological approaches to art history. Since interdisciplinary thinking is vital to the study of art history, students are required to take six credits of cognate courses in such related fields as history, literature, cultural anthropology,religion, women's studies, or philosophy as well as studio art and architecture; students interested in pursuing careers in art restoration or conservation might petition to include technical science classes as cognates. Students planning to pursue graduate work in art history are encouraged to develop their language ability, particularly in French and German as well as in other languages that may be relevant to specific interests. Computer skills are very useful for working with digitized images and visual databases.

Course of Study for a History of Art Academic Minor The Department of the History of Art also offers an academic minor, which like the concentration program emphasizes broadness of knowledge.

Credit for Internships and Study Abroad Working on a case-by-case basis with an undergraduate advisor, students may arrange to receive course credit for internships in museums and other arts organizations, and for study in history of art programs abroad. The usual procedure is to consult with a departmental advisor in advance to devise an appropriate set of assignments to document the work done. For internships, the student arranges with a faculty member to supervise the work as an independent study project, and signs a contract that describes the assignments to be completed. Many concentrators enroll in the study-abroad programs sponsored by the University of Michigan, especially to study Italian art at the Villa Corsi-Salviati in Florence. Credit awarded by these programs may automatically be counted toward appropriate History of Art concentration requirements. The department's Career Planning Resource Center maintains files on opportunities for internships and study abroad programs.

Honors The Honors Program in the History of Art provides a special opportunity for highly motivated students to work closely with faculty and with other honors students in the context of a small group seminar and then in the context of the research and writing of a thesis. The program is open to juniors and seniors who have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher and a concentration grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Students wishing to be admitted to the program apply to the departmental Honors advisor. Honors students work with the departmental Honors advisor to devise a suitable schedule of courses. These include the Undergraduate Pro-seminar to be elected in the Winter Term of the Honors candidate's junior year. This Pro-seminar is designed to provide a forum for discussion of ideas and problems in the history of art, for the exploration of research methodologies in the field, and for gaining experience in scholarly writing and oral presentation. The Honors program culminates with the writing of an Honors Thesis during the senior year. This research paper represents the results of the student's independent investigation of a topic chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor.

Gilardi, A Visit to the Gallery UMMA 1895/94

RESOURCES AND SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

First-year seminar students on a field trip to the National Museum of American Art in Washington

The University of Michigan offers several exceptional resources for art historians on campus. The Francis W. Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, housing ancient art and archaeological materials, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art are both important collections of original artifacts as well as active teaching institutions. History of Art classes frequently meet in the museums and students work directly with museum objects. Opportunities also exist for students to assist with exhibitions and other museum programs. The Fine Arts Library, housed in Tappan Hall, is a major research collection of books and periodicals from around the world in addition to up-to-date on-line and CD-ROM resources. The Eleanor Collins Visual Resource Collections is one of the best teaching collections of slides and photographs in the United States. Other collections of interest to students include the extensive archives of prints, drawings, photographs, and maps at the William L. Clements Library of Americana and New World Studies, the Bentley Historical Collections specializing in the history of Michigan, and the Taubman Medical Library. The Detroit Institute of Arts, the Toledo Museum of Art, the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, and the Cranbrook Museums of Science and Art are within an hour's drive and frequently included in field trips. History of Art classes have also scheduled visits to special exhibitions in Cleveland, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Kaleidoscope, the department's undergraduate association, sponsors a variety of activities such as films, museum trips, speakers, and social events. All History of Art concentrators are eligible to join; notices of meetings and events are posted on the bulletin board in the Tappan Hall lobby. The History of Art Career Planning Resource Center, located in Tappan Hall, maintains files of information on career options, internships, study abroad programs, graduate schools, Museum Studies programs, and fellowships.

HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION

Nepalese, Ambika (Durga) Fighting with the Demon UMMA 1970/2.148

Students thinking of pursuing a concentration in the History of Art should develop their skills in writing and in foreign languages, and take as many History courses as possible. Some work in studio art is very helpful, as are internships and volunteer work with local arts organizations. Computer skills are especially useful for working with digital images and other visual resources. The most valuable preparation of all, however, often takes place outside the classroom in visits to museums and works of public art and architecture.

Undergraduate Courses in History of Art

Franz Kline, To Win UMMA 1988/1.136

"All of the works of art reproduced in this website are from the collections of museums at the University of Michigan. Click on the images for larger reproductions and more information about each piece"