A survey of visual culture from prehistoric through the Middle Ages. The course is designed as an introduction to basic problems and terminology of art history, and to methods of analyzing and interpreting individual works of art. Emphasis is placed upon historical and cultural contexts, and upon the development of major styles. Recommended for first-year students and sophomores who are considering art as a major; open to all students. [GM1, H]
This course is organized like ART 101, but deals with painting, sculpture, and architecture from the Renaissance to the present. Recommended for first-year students and sophomores who are considering art as a major; open to all students. [H]
Through a series of reading/viewing/discussion sessions, this course will first examine issues and ideas that involve the use of new media methods and technologies in the contemporary practice of art. Second, through studio projects ranging from video art to social practice art to internet art, this course will serve as a laboratory from which experiments will be performed that investigate these ideas through students' own cultural production. [H, W]
A foundation for basic sculptural techniques, materials, and creativity in the studio. Students examine sculpture from the past to the present as a means of developing their technical and creative skills, including drawing, then implement their knowledge through studio projects using such materials as clay, plaster, wood, and found objects. They are also trained in the use of basic power and hand tools. At least two field trips required. Open to all students with or without prior knowledge of sculpture. (Additional course fee) [H]
An introduction to various approaches to drawing, including the use of line, hatching, contour, and shading. More emphasis is placed on immediacy than on finishing technique. Human and other natural forms as well as inanimate objects are drawn in both experimental and disciplined ways. Open to all students. [H]
An introduction to intaglio, relief and screen printing, as well as their digital equivalents: photo screen printing, laser etching and wax transfers. We will examine how these analog and digital techniques inform the outcome of the printed image as well as how they can be combined to create more complex narratives. The class will culminate with the making of a unique object that integrates the above techniques and evades traditional definitions of printmaking. (Additional course fee) [H]
An introduction to acrylic, watercolor, and oil painting, evolving from basic studies to more involved problems in formal and expressive relationships. The achievement of a sense of life and meaning in relatively simple subject matter is emphasized. (Additional course fee) [H]
The course provides an introduction to the theoretical basis and process by which architects design buildings. Course work includes three or four design projects focusing on significant architectural issues such as urban revitalization, sustainable building, historic preservation, etc. Architectural drafting (by hand) and presentation techniques are developed. No prior background in architecture or drafting is required.
A survey of Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Eclectic, and Modern architecture. Buildings and urban plans will be studied in relationship to the cultural, social, and structural character of each period. [H]
Introduction to Asian Art is an introductory survey of Chinese and Japanese art from their respective Neolithic periods through the 19th Century. The purpose of the course is to provide an historical framework from which an overall concept of the arts of China and Japan may be derived. [GM2, H]
This course is designed to introduce students to works of art in various media developed in isolation from the European tradition. Lectures will focus on the major artistic traditions of South and Southeast Asia, the Islamic World, China, Japan, Oceania, the Americas, and Africa. Using visual arts as a tool, this course will introduce students to the diverse social customs, religions, and beliefs of peoples from these regions. [GM1, GM2, H]
Creative expression, explorations of content and articulation of ideas will be emphasized. The course comprises technical lectures, laboratory demonstrations, slide lectures of historic and contemporary photography, and critiques of student work. Upon completion of the course, a student can expect to have a thorough understanding of the basics of digital photography-proper and consistent image exposure, basic Photoshop skills and competency with scanning and digital printing. (Additional course fee) [H]
In this class students will learn to use digital media as an art form while thinking about recent shifts in the tradition, practice, and purpose of image making. The class will be divided into three parts: photography, sound art, and the making of pod casts and video art. During the class we will experiment with using social media platforms to present the works we make. [GM1, H]
This course offers students an opportunity to understand how to manipulate and assemble found materials into exciting and convincing sculptural forms that transcend their original source into poetic visions. The Dada and Surrealists founded the Art of Assemblage at the beginning of the twentieth century. Since then many artists have assembled found objects-either natural or pre-fabricated-into structures that equal any other sculptural medium.
This course introduces students to the techniques of film exposure, developing, contact printing, and proofing. In addition, the course exposes students to the aesthetics of black and white photography, presentation of work, and a brief history of the subject. Students should have their own cameras. Limited to 12 students.
Contemporary artistic practices incorporate many mediums and disciplines. This course is designed to introduce students to current practices within the context of historical traditions and artistic philosophies. Course assignments will include practical projects, classroom critiques as well as field trips and visiting scholars. Students will be introduced to a variety of mediums that utilize reproduction and assemblage through active involvement with image production using alternative media.
A continuation of Drawing I with greater emphasis on compositional relationships and the human figure. There is further exploration of various media and techniques. Drawings by artists of the past and present are studied. Problems associated with aesthetic quality are discussed.
An in-depth examination of planographic techniques including screen printing, inkjet printing, photo lithography and transfer techniques. These techniques will be examined in relation to more dimensional forms of printing: collography, embossment, vacuum forming and water immersion printing. Working within the ethos of printmaking: collaboration, dissemination and production, students will learn to share, question and think through their ideas using a variety of traditional and contemporary forms of making. (Additional course fee)
In this sequel to ART 107 students explore specific frameworks and concepts. This course will explore unique and innovative approaches for using art as a catalyst to explore the interrelationships of the physical, biological, cultural, technological systems in our environment through a multidisciplinary approach. Students complete projects to reflect an understanding of these areas using a variety of materials including found objects and natural materials. Students' technical skills in the use of materials and tolls are expanded. (Additional course fee) [H]
An exploration of the art and architecture of Eastern Europe, Balkan, Asian, and Mediterranean countries during the period of Byzantine rule (343-1453). Works of architecture, sculpture, and painting as well as illuminated manuscripts, icons, and liturgical objects are examined in terms of both their iconography and style. Their significance within the historical, social, religious, and economic context in which they were produced is explored. [W]
Intermediate study in painting methodology. Technical instruction in acrylic, oil, and egg tempera. Investigations into figurative and abstract modes of painting, with emphasis on individual preference. Critiques are regularly scheduled. (Additional course fee) [H]
A study of the architectural and artistic achievements of the ancient civilizations around the Mediterranean: Egyptian, Minoan, Mycenaean, Greek, and Roman. The monuments are analyzed in terms of style, technique, function, patronage, and influence. [W]
A study of the art and architecture of Florence, Rome, Siena, and environs from the late thirteenth to the late fifteenth centuries. The works are analyzed in terms of style, technique, function, and patronage. [H, W]
A study of seventeenth-century European painting, sculpture, and architecture, focussing on the most important masters of the day: Caravaggio, Bernini, Poussin, Rembrandt, and Rubens. The works are analyzed in terms of style, technique, function, and patronage. [W]
In an age of political instability, religious turmoil and social unrest, great art shines forth. This course surveys the works of art and architecture produced in Northern Europe from the late 14th to 16th centuries. We will investigate the connections between art and religious life, aristocratic courts as centers of patronage, as well as the emergence of a wealthy merchant class that demanded a new art market.
A study of sixteenth-century painting, sculpture, and architecture, focusing on the most transcendent artists of the age: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Titian. [H, W]
This class will introduce students to the major art and architectural traditions of China and Japan from Neolithic times through the modern period. The course will focus on the cultural, social, and political movements that informed Chinese and Japanese artistic changes over time. [GM2, H]
A study of important developments in European art from the time of the French Revolution through Post-Impressionism. Visual culture is related to the social and political attitudes of the period. [H]
A study of major trends in modern European and American art. Expressionism, Cubism, abstraction, Surrealism, and more recent developments are emphasized, as are their relation to cultural, social, and political attitudes of the period. [H]
This course is an introductory survey to the artistic and architectural tradition of Japan from Neolithic times to the present. The course will focus on the cultural, social, and political movements that informed Japanese artistic and architectural changes over time, as well as the profound impact that the mainland (China, Korea, and indirectly, India) had on its religious, social, cultural, and artistic development. [GM2, H]
This course introduces students to the major issues addressed by scholars of Russia and Eastern Europe in a number of different disciplines: history, art, literature, government, economics, religious studies, and music. Each week, we treat a different era of history, reading literature, viewing slides, listening to music, and discussing social and political developments. Students will read the Great Russian writers, examine religious culture and architecture, and learn about life in Russia and Eastern Europe today. [H, SS]
This course is an introductory survey of Chinese art and architecture from Neolithic to modern times. Emphasis will be placed on the dynamic processes-cultural, social, political, economic, etc.-that contributed to artistic and architectural developments and changes over time. [GM2, H]
This course explores the history of Indian art and architecture from ancient to contemporary times. Special attention is placed on monuments and works of art that connect to some of India's major religious traditions, specifically Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. India’s religious and cultural impact on its East and Southeast Asian neighbors is also discussed. [GM2, H]
While one view of art making would suggest elite tools and materials available at a premium through specialty shops, many artists from all over the world -- for reasons of politics, philosophy, economics, environmental concerns or conceptual relevance to the given idea -- have engaged with found objects and materials to create beautiful, compelling, and revolutionary works of art. In this course we will explore artists and art practices that function in this manner and investigate through studio practice ideas and methods for producing such work. Our investigations will focus on artists whose work is involved with environmental concerns, broadly defined. We will explore and produce work that engages with environment in a social, political, and cultural context. [H]
This course takes an art-based approach toward the theory and practice of time-based media with particular emphasis placed on the moving image. Various media and many approached will be investigated in relation to conceptual, formal, and technical ways in which to make art with time as its foundation. Sound art, performance, and 2D animation will also be discussed as we explore the relationship of image to time, image to sound, and image to body. Specific time-based forms used by artists will be presented, such as sequential imagery, photo sequence and text, language, performance, audio works, film theory, video and multimedia. The course comprises technical lectures, laboratory demonstrations, slide lectures of historic and contemporary art, and critiques of student work. Approximately 3 hours of laboratory work is done weekly in addition to scheduled class time. Upon completion of the course, a student can expect to have a thorough understanding of the basics of time-based art. This includes fluidity with video and sound editing, understanding of conceptual art, practices and competency with digital video cameras and microphone use. [H]
Art and science share a long history of common iedas and practice. We hope to develop the students' sense of connected history as well as the current intersection between the fields by exploring various perspectives about visual processes, perception, self creativity and consciousness through readings, discussion and studio/lab projects. Students will benefit from the rare opportunity to intensively study the interconnection between two disciplines.
This fall semester course is designed as a capstone experience for Art majors with a concentration in studio art. Students are expected to engage and complete a semester long project as well as participate in critiques, discussions, film screenings, and field trips. During their studio art studies, students have explored a wide range of methodologies-research, material investigation and conceptual inquiry-for creative production. This course brings studio practice into dialogue with art theory in order to contextualize contemporary art in a holistic way that gives students' the experience of working as professional artists. [H, W]
Advanced study of the types and combinations of pictorial space through the techniques of composition and modern structural concepts. Emphasis is placed on the dynamic relationships of the subject to the expressive network of formal elements: color, rhythm, value, scale, and form. [H]
A study of particular periods, movements, and artists that relates theoretical, historical, and formal approaches, such as protest art, abstract expressionism, Picasso studies, installation and video art and 15th-century Italian painting. Topics vary according to the specialty of the professor. Open to juniors and seniors who have completed ART 101 and ART 102 and at least two intermediate-level art history courses.
This course examines decisions and actions that define the working process of individual artists. In a project-driven format, painting, printmaking, sculpture, graphic design, or special other studio work is addressed as a broadly expanded category of contemporary art making. Includes filed trips, visiting artists, and regularly scheduled critiques.
Students majoring in art may take an approved internship at a museum, gallery, or related institution. The internship includes reading assignments, art-related work experience, and a written report on selected activities.
This seminar class considers the history of photography through its technological developments and its primacy in our media saturated culture. In an effort to understand photography's global reach, photographers and art movements from the global South (Latin America and Africa) in addition to the European/American canon will be studied. Every assignment will include both analogue and digital processes. Students will be able to choose to write a research paper or pursue a photographic project as their final project. [GM1, H]
Advanced independent study with regularly scheduled critiques. Individual projects in painting, printmaking, sculpture, graphic design, or special work in portfolio development and presentation may be proposed. For junior and senior art majors and minors. Hours to be arranged.
Advanced independent study and research in art history with individually designed research programs done in consultation with a member of the art history faculty. For junior and senior art majors and minors. Hours to be arranged.
Majors with a strong performance in art history are invited to become candidates for departmental honors during second semester of junior year. During the senior year, candidates conduct research in a specialized field of art history under the guidance of art history faculty. The project culminates in a written thesis and an oral defense. [One W credit only upon completion of both 495 and 496]
Majors with a strong performance in studio art are invited to become candidates for departmental honors during the second semester of their junior year. In their senior year, candidates conduct research in a specialized field of studio art under the guidance of the studio art faculty. The project culminates in a body of work, a written thesis, and an oral defense.