Art History Recent Course Offerings
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Fall 2023▲
See complete information about these courses in the course offerings database. For more information about a specific course, including course type, schedule and location, click on its title.
Survey of Western Art: Ancient to Medieval
ARTH 101 - Bent, George R.
Chronological survey of Western art from the Paleolithic Age through the Middle Ages in Italy and Northern Europe. Examination of cultural and stylistic influences in the art and architecture of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Consideration of distinct interests of Early Christian, Byzantine, and Medieval Europe. Focus on major monuments and influential images produced up to circa 1400.
Survey of Western Art: Ancient to Medieval
ARTH 101 - Van Loan, Theodore
Chronological survey of Western art from the Paleolithic Age through the Middle Ages in Italy and Northern Europe. Examination of cultural and stylistic influences in the art and architecture of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Consideration of distinct interests of Early Christian, Byzantine, and Medieval Europe. Focus on major monuments and influential images produced up to circa 1400.
FS: First-Year Seminar: From Pain to Power: The Revolutionary Art of Frida Kahlo
ARTH 180A - Lepage, Andrea C.
This seminar explores the life and work of the iconic Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. Classes explore Kahlo's use of symbolism, her engagement with surrealism and the Mexican Revolution, her depictions of Mexican culture and politics, and her numerous self-portraits. The course examines Kahlo's life experiences, including her long recovery process following a serious accident, her tumultuous relationship with Diego Rivera, and how these factors influenced her art. Through the study of Kahlo's artworks, students gain an understanding of the cultural and social context of Mexico during the 20th century. The course explores Kahlo's lasting impact on the art world and her influence on contemporary feminist art.
Islamic Art and Architecture
ARTH 211 - Van Loan, Theodore
This survey course introduces the art and architecture of the Islamic world from the origins of Islam in the 7th Century C.E. to the present day. Students will develop analytical and conceptual tools through rigorous engagement with a diverse set of buildings, artworks, and relevant textual sources (all available in English translation). Lectures will emphasize a diversity of methodological approaches to the visual traditions of the Islamic World, while also critically engaging with the field's complicated status within the History of Art.
Italian Renaissance Art
ARTH 256 - Bent, George R.
Survey of the art and architecture of Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries. The course focuses on innovations of the Early, High, and Late Renaissance through the work of Brunelleschi, Donatello, Masaccio, Alberti, Leonardo, Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Images are considered as exponents of contemporary political, social, and religious events and perceptions.
Baroque and Rococo Art
ARTH 258 - Lepage, Andrea C.
A survey of the art and architecture that focuses on the stylistic and ideological issues shaping western Europe during 17th and 18th centuries.
History of Photography
ARTH 261 - Castenell, Wendy
An art-historical introduction to the history of photography, from its origins in the 19th century to the present day. Lectures and discussions examine photography's aesthetic, documentary, and scientific purposes; important contributors to photography and its history; the evolution of the camera and related technical processes; and issues of photographic theory and criticism. Photography is considered as a medium with its own rich history - bearing in mind stylistic shifts and changes in subject matter related to aesthetic, social, and cultural concerns - but also as a key component in the wider narrative of modern art.
Art Since 1945
ARTH 267 - King, Elliott H.
This course introduces students to art and art theory from 1945 to the present. The objectives of the course are: (1) to enhance student knowledge of the major works, artists, and movements of art in Europe and the United States since 1945; (2) to integrate these works of art within the broader social and intellectual history of the period; and (3) to help students develop their skills in visual analysis and historical interpretation. Among the issues we examine are the politics of abstract art; the ongoing dialogue between art and mass culture; the differences between modernism and postmodernism; and contemporary critiques of art history's prevailing narratives. This is a lecture course with a heavy emphasis on in-class discussion.
Seminar in Art History: Surrealism
ARTH 394C - King, Elliott H.
This seminar course studies surrealism.
Seminar in Art History: Turn-of-the-Century American Spectacles and Race
ARTH 394D - Castenell, Wendy
The U.S. at the turn of the century was undergoing profound technological and societal transformations. This seminar will examine the growth of spectacles in response to these sweeping changes. This marked a turning point in the U.S. where people’s interests shifted from an interest in the natural world to the technological. This change, spurred by the myriad inventions and innovations flooding the consumer market, led to new ways of seeing and new forms of entertainment, often in the form of spectacles and popular amusements. This class will examine how America’s burgeoning fascination with spectacles celebrated the country’s ingenuity on the one hand, while simultaneously reinforcing and re-inscribing racial hierarchies. In the post-Reconstruction era, when white anxiety about the status of people of color within American society was at its zenith, spectacles were used to circulate and normalize racist ideologies about white superiority. The repercussions of this expression of hegemonic power by European Americans will likewise be examined. Topics will include panoramas, world’s fairs, early cinema, vaudeville, minstrelsy, amusement parks, wild west shows, as well as perverse spectacles like lynching postcards and before-and-after photographs from indigenous boarding schools.
Senior Seminar: Approaches to Art History
ARTH 395 - Bent, George R.
This capstone seminar studies the origins, applications, strengths, and weaknesses of various methodological approaches that art historians use to study art. Topics include Formalism; Iconography and Iconology; Social History and Marxism; Feminism; Psychoanalysis; Semiotics; Structuralism and Post-Structuralism; Deconstruction; Reception Theory; Post-Colonialism; and Critical Race/Ethnicity Theories.
Directed Individual Study: Independent Research and Teaching Assistance in ARTH180 FY Seminar: The Revolutionary Art of Frida Kahlo
ARTH 403C - Lepage, Andrea C.
The student taking this three-credit course will provide teaching assistance for the class. That person will be a contact for students and will answer questions, help students prepare for assignments, set up meeting times outside of class, and will on occasion present course material and current events related to the course. The student will also produce a significant independent research paper focused on the course topic.
Directed Individual Study: Baroque or Rococo Art History
ARTH 403D - Lepage, Andrea C.
The student taking this three-credit course will expand upon work completed during a study abroad experience. The student will conduct a broad overview of the art historical period as a foundation to produce a significant research paper focused on an aspect of Baroque or Rococo art history.
Senior Thesis
ARTH 473 - Lepage, Andrea C.
An art history thesis. A thesis abstract with a written statement of the objective must be presented in the spring of the junior year. The Art History faculty will evaluate all thesis proposals within three weeks to determine the student's preparedness and the project's validity, designating each as a 'Pass,' 'Provisional Pass' (requiring resubmission of proposal), or 'Re-direction' (to a 300-level seminar or independent study). Student writing a thesis will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony.
Senior Thesis
ARTH 473 - Van Loan, Theodore
An art history thesis. A thesis abstract with a written statement of the objective must be presented in the spring of the junior year. The Art History faculty will evaluate all thesis proposals within three weeks to determine the student's preparedness and the project's validity, designating each as a 'Pass,' 'Provisional Pass' (requiring resubmission of proposal), or 'Re-direction' (to a 300-level seminar or independent study). Student writing a thesis will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony.
Senior Thesis
ARTH 473 - King, Elliott H.
An art history thesis. A thesis abstract with a written statement of the objective must be presented in the spring of the junior year. The Art History faculty will evaluate all thesis proposals within three weeks to determine the student's preparedness and the project's validity, designating each as a 'Pass,' 'Provisional Pass' (requiring resubmission of proposal), or 'Re-direction' (to a 300-level seminar or independent study). Student writing a thesis will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony.
Senior Thesis
ARTH 473 - Castenell, Wendy
An art history thesis. A thesis abstract with a written statement of the objective must be presented in the spring of the junior year. The Art History faculty will evaluate all thesis proposals within three weeks to determine the student's preparedness and the project's validity, designating each as a 'Pass,' 'Provisional Pass' (requiring resubmission of proposal), or 'Re-direction' (to a 300-level seminar or independent study). Student writing a thesis will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony.
Senior Thesis
ARTH 473 - Bent, George R.
An art history thesis. A thesis abstract with a written statement of the objective must be presented in the spring of the junior year. The Art History faculty will evaluate all thesis proposals within three weeks to determine the student's preparedness and the project's validity, designating each as a 'Pass,' 'Provisional Pass' (requiring resubmission of proposal), or 'Re-direction' (to a 300-level seminar or independent study). Student writing a thesis will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony.
Spring 2023▲
See complete information about these courses in the course offerings database. For more information about a specific course, including course type, schedule and location, click on its title.
The Art History of the Qur'an
ARTH 214 - Van Loan, Theodore
Shortly after its revelation in the 7th Century, the Qur’an became an object of aesthetic and artistic attention. This class will explore the art historical development of Quranic manuscripts, architectural inscriptions, calligraphy, and other examples from the 7th century to the present day. Visits to the Special Collections department at Leyburn Library and to the American Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC will provide hands on experience with a number of Qur’an manuscripts.
Chicana/o Art and Muralism: From the Street to the (Staniar) Gallery
ARTH 276 - Lepage, Andrea C.
This class examines the process by which Chicana/o artists have garnered public attention and respect, taking their artworks from the peripheries of the art world to museum and gallery spaces. Using the half-mile long mural entitled The Great Wall of Los Angeles as a connecting thread, this class considers the broad theme of identity creation and transformation as expressed by Chicana/o artists from the 1970s to the present.
Seminar in Museum Studies
ARTH 398 - El-Beshir, Isra
This seminar explores the history, development, and practical aspects of museums and considers museum practices of the present and the future. Topics of discussion include museum administration, collections management, exhibition planning, interpretation and storytelling, and museum education. Students collaborate to produce an exhibition, and gain skills in developing a master plan, concept development, design, installation, label writing, and evaluation. The course may include field trips to regional museums.
Winter 2023▲
See complete information about these courses in the course offerings database. For more information about a specific course, including course type, schedule and location, click on its title.
Survey of Western Art: Renaissance to the Present
ARTH 102 - King, Elliott H.
Chronological survey of Western art from the Renaissance through the present. Topics include the Renaissance, from its cultural and stylistic origins through the Mannerist movement; the Baroque and Rococo; the Neoclassical reaction; Romanticism and Naturalism; the Barbizon School and Realism; Impressionism and its aftermath; Fauvism, Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop, Minimalism, and the Postmodern reaction to Modernism.
Introduction to Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies: Problems of Ownership and Curation
ARTH 146 - Kerin, Melissa R.
Cultural heritage objects are powerful artifacts to own, display, and even destroy. But why? This introductory course explores the ways art and cultural heritage objects have been stolen, laundered, purchased, curated, and destroyed in order to express political, religious, and cultural messages. Case studies and current events are studied equally to shed light on practices of looting and iconoclasm. Some of the questions we consider: What is the relationship between art and war? Under what conditions should museums return artifacts to the country/ethnic group from which the artifacts originated? What role do auction houses play in laundering art objects? What nationalist agendas are at work when cultural heritage objects are claimed by modem nation states or terrorist groups?
Arts of Mesoamerica and the Andes
ARTH 170 - Lepage, Andrea C.
Survey of the art and architecture of Mesoamerica and the Andes before the arrival of the Europeans, with a focus on indigenous civilizations including the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, and Inca. Art is contextualized in terms of religious, social, political, and economic developments in each region under discussion. The class includes a trip to the Virginia Museum of fine Arts in Richmond or the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Special Topics in Art History: Building Jerusalem: The Making and Remaking of a Holy City
ARTH 195A - Van Loan, Theodore
Since its foundation, the city of Jerusalem has been claimed materially and spiritually by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This survey course will trace the complex and conflicted history of Jerusalem from c. 516 BCE to today’s divided city. Classes contextualize art and architecture in terms of religious, social, political, and economic developments in the region. Students will learn about the Second Jewish Temple, the Holy Sepulcher, the Dome of the Rock, the Ottoman walls, and the West Bank barrier.
Islamic Art and Architecture: The First 400 Years
ARTH 212 - Van Loan, Theodore
The 7th Century CE/1st Century AH was a time of great political, cultural, and religious change in Eurasia. Amid a power vacuum created by conflict between warring Byzantium and Sasanian Iran, a polity emerged, drawing authority from a new faith, Islam. For the subsequent 400 years following the initial Islamic conquest, a series of Caliphates sponsored the construction of vast urban spaces, monuments, mosques, palaces, and other structures, some of which have remained in continuous use since. Alongside this, patronage of the visual arts more broadly including manuscripts, ivories, metalwork, and other media also thrived. The course will consider how this artistic and architectural output came to define Islamic Art as a visual tradition and as an academic discipline. It will do so by tracing artistic developments across the early Islamic world, ranging from the Iberian Peninsula in the West to North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
19th-Century European Art
ARTH 262 - King, Elliott H.
This course begins in the late 18th century and covers major European art movements and criticism up to c.1900. Topics include the art of the French Revolution as an instrument of propaganda; the rise of Romanticism; the advent and impact of early photography; and the aesthetic and ideological origins of Modern Art.
Arts of Colonial Latin America
ARTH 271 - Lepage, Andrea C.
A survey of the art and architecture of Latin America from the 16th through 18th centuries. This course begins with an exploration of the art of the Aztec, Maya, Inca, and Spanish before cultural contact. Classes then explore the cultural convergence that resulted from the European military and spiritual conquest in the 16th century, focusing on the role of indigenous artists and traditions in the formation of early colonial culture. Later lectures consider the rise of nationalism and its effect on the arts.
Art and Material Culture of Tibet
ARTH 343 - Kerin, Melissa R.
Through a chronological presentation of sites and objects, we study Tibet's great artistic movements from the 7th-20th centuries. Our analyses of the art and material culture of Tibet, and its larger cultural zone, has an art historical and historiographic focus. This two-pronged approach encourages students to analyze not only the styles and movements of Tibetan art, but the methods by which this art world has been studied by and simultaneously presented to Western audiences.
Directed Individual Study: Teaching Assistance in ARTH 146
ARTH 401A - Kerin, Melissa R.
One-Credit for Teaching Assistance in ARTH 146 HU designation. The student taking this one-credit course will provide teaching assistance for the class. That person will be a contact for students and will answer questions, help students prepare for exams, set up meeting times outside of class, and will present course material and current events related to cultural heritage.
Directed Individual Study: Whose Heritage
ARTH 403A - Kerin, Melissa R.
This independent study is a continuation of last term’s Cultural Heritage podcast, Whose Heritage, which delves deeply into complex political and historical issues related to the acquisition, display and ownership of cultural heritage throughout the world. As an independent study, this student meets with the faculty advisor once a week to go over topical themes, reading lists, current events, and questions for upcoming episodes. Instead of papers, the student generates about three episodes per term and in so doing has the opportunity to meet with top scholars and activists in the field.
Directed Individual Study: Gallery Internship II
ARTH 403B - Archer, Clover H.
Supervised internship for students with prior experience working or interning in an art gallery, art dealership, museum, or auction. Gallery Internship II is a course designed to give hands-on experience working in an art gallery setting within an academic environment. Students will be exposed to all aspects of gallery operations including exhibition planning and management, exhibition installation, curatorial and exhibit-making strategies, handling and evaluating artwork.
Internship in Arts Management
ARTH 453 - Archer, Clover H.
Supervised experience in an art gallery, art dealership, museum, or auction house approved by the Art and Art History Department. Requires written exercises and readings, in addition to curatorial projects devised in advance by the instructor and student.
Senior Thesis
ARTH 483 - Kerin, Melissa R.
Continuation of ARTH 473. Students continue to research, write, and revise the senior thesis project. All students will present their work to faculty, students, and other members of the community in March. Honors will be determined based on the quality of writing and inquiry in March of the senior year. Students writing a thesis will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony.
Senior Thesis
ARTH 483 - Lepage, Andrea C.
Continuation of ARTH 473. Students continue to research, write, and revise the senior thesis project. All students will present their work to faculty, students, and other members of the community in March. Honors will be determined based on the quality of writing and inquiry in March of the senior year. Students writing a thesis will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony.
Honors Thesis
ARTH 493 - Kerin, Melissa R.
An art history thesis. The culmination is an oral defense of the thesis project. Students achieving honors will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony and in the university graduation program.