Acadia University HIST 1823: History of Art II Winter 2018 Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3-4:30pm, BAC 142 Dr. Laurie Dalton Office: BAC 128 (in hallway behind art gallery) Office hours: by appointment Email: laurie.dalton@acadiau.ca Course description: This course will be an introductory survey of the history of art from Early Renaissance to modern art, including an overview of non-western art. By the end of the course students will learn the mechanics of visual literacy: by exploring a selection of key works, by building an art historical vocabulary and by examining wide shifts in the development of art. The course will focus on how art communicates: how way may interpret and research it, and see it as representative of wider social, political and cultural shifts in the world. The class will take a chronological approach to the study of art so that we may trace the arcs and developments of art history. Each week will also have an in context focus where we will explore one theme in depth. Classes will be combination of class lectures, videos, and in-class discussions. Required Texts: There is A LOT of material to cover in this survey course, Attendance is imperative for your success in the course. There are no required texts for purchase for this course. Readings for the course will be posted to ACORN, and are a required component of the course material. We will be drawing from online news sources, museums, and academic writings. In particular, most readings will come from the following: Metropolitan Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/) SmartHistory (https://smarthistory.org/tag/browse-images/) Google Art Project: (https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/) These above links are also useful resources for chronologies and key themes in art. The following survey text has been placed on 1-day reserve at for consultation as well Marilyn Stokstad, Art History, Volume II (N5300.S923 2008 )
Late Assignments Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day for the first 5 working university days, after which no assignments will be accepted without documentation of a medical or legal emergency and consultation with the professor. All assignments are DUE at the START of class. Plagiarism is a serious offense!! It occurs when a student directly copies another s work without acknowledgement, closely paraphrases the equivalent of a short paragraph or more without acknowledgment, or borrows, without acknowledgement, any ideas in a clear and recognizable form in such a way as to present them as the student s own thought. Plagiarism will result in a ZERO grade on the assignment. All cases of suspected plagiarism will be reported to the Dean s office. Please consult the University Calendar for more information about university policy on plagiarism. Accessibility Services If you are a student with a documented disability who anticipates needing accommodations in this course, please inform me after you meet with Accessibility Services: disability.access@acadiau.ca. Accessibility Services, Student Resource Centre, lower level of the Old SUB. Course Evaluation Tests (2 x 15%) 30% Final Exam 30% Reflections on the Study of Art 30% Class Participation/Attendance 10% Tests There will be two tests this term: February 8 (covers Jan 9 Feb 1) and March 20 (covers Feb 6 March 15). You will receive a prep sheet in advance of the test of which you can prepare from. Tests will be a combination of Art Identification (artist, title, period, significance of work), Terminology, and Short Answers. Exam Date to set by Registrar s Office. In addition to components of tests listed above, the final exam will also include an essay. The final exam will cover material from the entire term. Reflections on the Study of Art For this assignment you will submit 3 small essays, due on March 27 th. Each response should be 3-4 pages double-spaced and typed. This assignment will give you the opportunity to engage with visual art in a variety of formats, and is designed for you to expand on the study of the history of art, of visual literacy and of critical thinking. Each entry should have a clear thesis and well organized paragraphs. Be sure to include images of the works you will be discussing as well as a bibliography. Be sure to cite your sources using CHICAGO style footnotes. For help on how to do this see the library s site, which lists many sources and examples: https://library.acadiau.ca/writing. I will also place some resources on reserve for how to write and research about art.
Your paper will be graded on the following components: Organization 25% (is each essay properly organized and presented with thesis, introduction, and conclusion? Do paragraphs follow in logical manner?) Writing style 20% (is your writing clear? Are sentences well structured? Are there few spelling errors? Be sure to proofread!) Citations/Biblio 5% (be sure to cite your sources properly and included a bibliography) Incorporate research sources other than your textbook; do not cite Wikipedia or other general sources such as Encyclopaedia Britannica. Content 50%(does each essay clearly cover and present the topic of focus? is it well researched?) Response 1: Acadia University Art Gallery (exhibition review) For this response you may visit ONE of the following exhibitions at the Acadia University Art Gallery, which is located in the Beveridge Arts Centre: Annual Acadia Art Exhibition, on view until February 14, 2018 3D in art, opening early March, 2018 For this entry you will submit an exhibition review, which should include information on the exhibition (what is it about), and your thoughts on the exhibit (how is it put together, how can you situate it within wider studies of art history?). If you chose The Annual Acadia Art Exhibition your response should include a reflection on the history of Salon exhibitions, if you chose the 3D art exhibit your response should include a reflection on pop or digital art. Response 2: Contextualizing Non-Western Art (Art Analysis) When studying art history, it is important to go beyond the study of the canon of the works of North America and Europe. For this entry, you will choose ONE work of art or an exhibition of Non-Western art, as long as it falls within the historical time period of this course (if you are not sure, check with me). Your selection should come from Google Art Project, you can search by country, artist, or theme: (https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/). Your response must consider the following: Why did you select the work?; Describe the artwork (where is from, how is it made, who is the artist); What is significant about the work of art (possible meaning? Any pertinent symbolism/iconography?); Context of the work (how does it expand our understanding of the culture/geographical location?) Response 3: Recurring themes in Art History (Compare and Contrast) As we have explored this term, there are common themes and genres that artists have explored when creating works of art. For this assignment you must choose 2 works of art that are dealing with the same subject matter and explore how their approach differs (compare and contrast). The works that you select cannot be from the same time period or the same works we have discussed in class. Some possible topics: Annunciation, Deposition, Crucifixion, Marriage, and Vanitas. Other artists have referenced/re-worked/remixed well-known art historical works to create new work. Some examples are: Burghers of Calais (Rodin/Hannah), Olympia (Manet/Magritte/Morimura), Marilyn Monroe (Warhol/Bansky), Pieta (Michelangelo/LaChapelle)
Your response must consider the following: Describe the artwork (where is it from, how is it made, who is the artist); How does each artist treat the theme? (how are they presented? What is similar, what is different? How does the artist s technique affect the subject?; Context of the work (how does it expand our understanding of theme? how does the historical time period impact the presentation of the theme?) Weekly Topics NB: Readings will be posted on ACORN be sure to consult in advance of class. Topics may be adjusted as term progresses, check ACORN for updates. DATE Jan 9 TOPIC Introduction to Class and 14 th century art in Europe/ Setting the Stage for the Renaissance Understanding the study of the history of art Religion in Art in the 14 th Century January 11 15 th century Northern Renaissance Devotional Objects Tapestry Design In Context: The Altarpiece January 16 15 th Century Italian Renaissance Key Concepts of Italian Renaissance Art In Context: Understanding Perspective Jan 18 16 th Century art in Italy/High Renaissance and the Cult of Genius Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Anatomy in the Renaissance In Context: Sistine Chapel Jan 23 Jan 25 Library Tutorial 16 th Century art in Northern Europe/ Reformation and Counter Reformation The Reformation In Context: Bosch and Earthly Delights Jan 30 17 th Century: If It s Baroque Don't Fix it I How to Identify Baroque Art Tenebrism In context: Las Meninas
Feb 1 17 th Century: If It s Baroque Don't Fix it II The Baroque Landscape The Artist s Studio In context: Memento Mori Feb 6 Arts of India Feb 8 Test 1 Architecture as Devotion, the Taj Mahal In context: Cross Cultural Court/Mughal Miniatures Feb 13 Arts of Asia Buddhism in Art Woodblock printmaking Landscape Painting In Context: Chinese Porcelain Feb 15 Art of the Americas Mayan Culture Beadwork In Context: Art as Document Feb 20 Feb 22 Feb 27 No Classes Study Week Art of Africa and Pacific Cultures Art of Ceremony In Context: Yoruba and colonial Art March 1 18 th Century Europe/Rococo to Neoclassicism Identifying Rococo Work Enlightenment and the Arts In context: The Grand Tour March 6 19 th Century/ Romanticism - Realism Politics and Art Orientalism in Art The Move to Realism In context: A Case for Art/ Whistler March 6 Art of the 19 th Century/ The Academy and the Salon
The Academy, standardizing art The Salon In context: Women Artists March 13 March 15 Art of the 19 th Century/ Impressionism Post-Impressionism Impressionism Post-Impressionism Salon de Refuses In Context: Observation and Art 20 th Century / Move to Abstraction Fauves Cubism Move to Abstraction In Context: African Influences on European Art March 20 March 22 Test II Guest Lecture: How Artists Use Art History (nb: submit a 1 page personal response to this guest lecture in class on March 27 th, this contributes to participation grade) March 27 20 th Century / Urinals and Ants Dada Surrealism In Context: Mexican Muralists Reflections on the Study of Art Assignment Due March 29 April 3 No Class 1945 onwards / Shifting Art World Centres Pop Art Colour Field Painting Abstract Expressionism In Context: Pollock and Painting April 5 1945 onwards Minimalism Conceptual Art Performance Art Environmental Art In context: Canada makes art too!