ART 232-01, History of Western Art II, Spring 2008

Abstract

The objectives of the course are as follows: (1) to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the major images, artists, and movements of Western art from the Renaissance to the present; (2) to integrate these images with the broader social and intellectual history of their respective period; and (3) to help students develop the visual and analytical skills needed for further study in the history of art. Among the themes we will examine are the following: the development of naturalism in Renaissance art and its eventual abandonment in the late nineteenth century, the use of art as a form of political or spiritual propaganda, the continuing debt to classical ideals and styles, the effect of new technologies and materials on architecture, the development of new styles over the past century, and the changing status of the artist within Western society. Art 232 is the second half of a survey designed to introduce students to the history of Western art from its beginnings in the prehistoric period to the twenty-first century. Students are not expected to have had any previous experience with art history. Art 232 is a lecture course with some classroom discussion. It carries F3 and F5 credit.