ART 341-01, Modern Survey I, Fall 2004

Abstract

This course is first in the three-part "Modern" art survey sequence at Rhodes College. Spanning the years 1760 to 1860, this class will address the origins and development of modernism in the visual arts. Art will be discussed both in terms of individual artists and their masterworks, and the social context and external forces surrounding the production and consumption of art. Special emphasis will be given to topics including the impact of the Enlightenment; the Grand Tour and classical revival; the rise of the Academy and Salon system in Europe; the decline of monarchies and the Age of Revolution across Europe and America; the development of the "romantic" artistic temperament and the rise of the individual artist/hero; the Industrial Revolution and the romance of nature; slavery, abolitionism, and colonialism; Orientalism; the rise of Capitalism and Socialism; and late-century nostalgia for pre-industrial lifestyles/art. Primarily designed as a lecture, the course will also include some class discussion, especially in relation to the assigned readings.