LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE 2017-2018 LBCL 295/A: THE HISTORY OF ART Section A: Monday and Wednesday, 16:15-17:30 Instructor: Mark Russell Email: mark.russell@concordia.ca Office Hours: Rm. 304 M/W, 15:00-16:00 COURSE OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS In this class we look at the visual arts in their historical contexts and relate them to texts and ideas studied in other LAC classes. The course's aims are as follows: to develop an understanding of the formal characteristics and language of art, and equip students with the methodological tools necessary to analyze, interpret, enjoy and write about architecture, painting, and sculpture. to familiarize students with the historical development of the visual arts of the Western tradition, from the Archaic Greek to the Postmodern periods, both in terms of the broad currents of that tradition and in terms of specific works. Emphasis will be placed on reading artworks as artifacts that provide important insights into the cultures that produced them. to introduce some of the literature in the field of Art History and criticism, and to explore some of the most influential theories and methodologies that have shaped the discipline of Art History. to develop skills in research and writing about artworks.
REQUIRED READING E. H. Gombrich, The Story of Art pocket edition (latest reprint is 2015). LBCL 295: Notes and Readings (2017-18). This is a photocopied course pack. Both can be purchased at the Concordia Bookstore. Note: There are also several survey Art History textbooks (e.g. Janson s History of Art) in the LAC Library and students are encouraged to consult these. ATTENDANCE AND GRADING Policy Regarding Absences Participation in seminar discussion is essential at the Liberal Arts College. Therefore, a pattern of non-attendance in a course can result in a failing grade even if all papers and assignments are completed. A pattern of non-attendance is hereby defined as four (4) absences per semester. Faculty members will determine whether a failing grade should be awarded in a given case, taking relevant circumstances into account. Students are expected to arrive on time and may be marked absent if they do not. Students should also keep in mind that absences will affect their participation grade. Policy Regarding Late Work Students have until class time on the due date to submit their assignments. All assignments submitted after the deadline will be penalized by one percentage point per day of lateness, unless a medical note is produced. If you miss class on a day that a paper is due, your paper will be counted as late. Essay rewrites are not allowed, but students are encouraged to submit drafts in advance for comment and advice. Students should keep copies of their essays on file. Completion of all assignments is mandatory for students to receive a passing grade. A grade of INC (incomplete) will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, including medical reasons. Permission to seek a grade of INC must be granted by the faculty member. Any student with more than one INC in a semester must meet with the Principal of the College. PLAGIARISM In accordance with LAC and University regulations, plagiarism is strictly prohibited and will result in serious sanctions. These may include receiving a failing grade for the course. The definition of plagiarism can be found at the University s Academic Integrity website: www.concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity/plagiarism.html
USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM Students may use laptops for taking notes and to look at images shown in class, but not smartphones or tablets. Text messaging, email, gaming, and any other non-class-related activity is strictly prohibited during class time. Schedule of Assignments 27 Sept. Classical Column Exercise 1 page 22 Nov. Formal Analysis Exercise - 1 3 pages 29 Nov. Architecture Project 1 double-sided page 14 Feb. Formal Analysis Exercise - 2 3 pages 11 April Second Semester Research Paper 10 pages Final Grade Breakdown Quizzes 20% Fall Architecture Project (students may work in pairs) 10% Second Semester Research Paper 20% Final Exam 20% Short Exercises 20% Classical Column Exercise Two Formal Analysis Exercises Participation in Class Discussion 10% Schedule of Seminars - First Semester Wed. Sept. 6: Introduction and The Beginnings of the Classical Tradition: Ancient Greek Sculpture - Gombrich, chaps. 3-4. Mon. Sept. 11: Laying the Foundations: Ancient Greek Architecture - Gombrich, chaps. 3-4. Wed. Sept. 13: Building an Empire: Roman Imperial Architecture - Gombrich, chap. 5. Assignment of classical column exercise (due Sept. 27) Mon. Sept. 18: Portraiture and Politics: Ancient Roman Sculpture - Gombrich, chap. 5. Wed. Sept. 20: Painting the Ancient World. Assignment of architecture project (due Nov. 29) Mon. Sept. 25: The Art of Late Antiquity: Pagans and Christians - Gombrich, chaps. 5-6. Wed. Sept. 27: The Art of Late Antiquity - Gombrich, chaps. 5-6. Column exercise due
Mon. Oct. 2: Beginning Again: Carolingian Renaissance and Early Medieval Art - Gombrich, chap. 8. Wed. Oct. 4: The Triumph of Latin Christendom: Romanesque Architecture - Gombrich, chap. 9. Quiz # 1 Mon. Oct. 9: Wed. Oct. 11: THANKSGIVING NO CLASS NEW YORK TRIP Mon. Oct. 16: Portraying the Faith: Romanesque Sculpture - Gombrich, chap. 9. Wed. Oct. 18: Portraying the Faith: Romanesque Sculpture - Gombrich, chap. 9. Assignment of formal analysis exercise (due Nov. 22) Mon. Oct. 23: Foretastes of Heaven: The Gothic Cathedral - Gombrich, chap. 10. Wed. Oct. 25: Art as Metaphor: Gothic Sculpture and Painting - Gombrich, chap. 10. Mon. Oct. 30: From Gothic to Renaissance: Italian Painting in the 14th Century - Gombrich, chap. 11. Wed. Nov.1: Naturalism and Symbolism: Flemish Painting in the 15th Century - Gombrich, chap. 12. Mon. Nov. 6: Wed. Nov. 8: Mon. Nov. 13: Wed. Nov. 15: Mon. Nov. 20: Wed. Nov. 22: Mon. Nov. 27: Wed. Nov. 29: Humanist Renewal: the Early Italian Renaissance - Gombrich, chaps12-13. Quiz # 2 Humanist Renewal: the Early Italian Renaissance - Gombrich, chaps. 12-13. Wholeness and Harmony: The Italian High Renaissance - Gombrich, chaps. 15-16. Wholeness and Harmony: The Italian High Renaissance - Gombrich, chaps. 15-16. Ancient Rome Reborn: Italian Renaissance Architecture - Gombrich, chaps. 12-13 &15. Ancient Rome Reborn: Italian Renaissance Architecture - Gombrich, chaps. 12-13 &15. Formal analysis exercise due Naturalism, Classicism, and Devotion: Netherlandish Art in the 16 th Century - Gombrich, chaps. 14 & 17. Naturalism, Classicism, and Devotion: Netherlandish Art in the 16 th Century - Gombrich, chaps. 14 & 17. Architecture project due Mon. Dec. 4: The Retreat from Harmony: Italian Mannerism - Gombrich, chap. 18. Tues. Dec. 5: Canons, Periods, and Labels: Giorgio Vasari and the History of Art.
Schedule of Seminars - Second Semester Mon. Jan. 8: Defining Baroque Art: Idea and Visual Rhetoric - Gombrich, chap. 19. Wed. Jan. 10: Baroque Art in Italy: Origins and Developments, 1600-1700 - Gombrich, chaps. 19 & 21. Assignment of research paper (due April 11) Mon. Jan. 15: Wed. Jan. 17: Varieties of Baroque Art in Europe: Landscape, Still Life, and Genre. Assignment of formal analysis exercise (due Feb. 14) Art of the Absolute: Political Allegory and Royal Portraits. Mon. Jan. 22: Republican Realism and Allegory: Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painting - Gombrich, chap. 20. Wed. Jan. 24: Baroque Architecture - Gombrich, chaps. 19 & 21. Mon. Jan. 29 The Rococo in Eighteenth-Century France - Gombrich, chap. 22. Wed. Jan. 31: Eighteenth-Century England: Grand Manner Portraits - Gombrich, chap. 23. Mon. Feb. 5: European Neo-Classicism: Art, Enlightenment, and Revolution - Gombrich, chap. 24. Wed. Feb. 7: The Romantic Movement in Spain and France - Gombrich, chaps, 24-25. Quiz # 3 Mon. Feb. 12: Wed. Feb. 14: Mon. Feb. 19: Wed. Feb. 21: Mon. Feb. 26: Wed. Feb. 28: Mon. Mar. 5 Wed. Mar. 7: The Romantic Movement in England and Germany - Gombrich, chaps, 24-25. Realism: Gustave Courbet and the Painting of Modern Life - Gombrich, Formal analysis exercise due Mid-Term Break Mid-Term Break The Rise of Modernism: Édouard Manet and his Circle - Gombrich, The Rise of Modernism: Édouard Manet and his Circle - Gombrich, Impressionism: the Fleeting Moments of Modern Life - Gombrich, Impressionism: the Fleeting Moments of Modern Life - Gombrich, Mon. Mar. 12: Neo- and Post- Impressionism - Gombrich, chap. 26. Wed. Mar. 14: Fin-de-Siècle: Art in an Age of Uncertainty - Gombrich, chap. 26.
Mon. Mar. 19: Art Historiography in the Twentieth Century Quiz # 4 Wed. Mar. 21: The Avant-Garde: European Expressionism before World War I - Gombrich, chap. 27. Mon. Mar. 26: The Avant-Garde: Cubism and Futurism - Gombrich, chap. 27. Wed. Mar. 28: The End of Illusion: the emergence of Abstract and Non-objective Art Gombrich, chap. 27. Mon. Apr. 2: UNIVERSITY CLOSED Wed. Apr. 4 Varieties of Abstract Art - Gombrich, chap. 27. Mon. Apr. 9: Varieties of Abstract Art - Gombrich, chap. 27. Wed. Apr. 11: The Impact of the First World War: Dada, Surrealism, New Objectivity - Gombrich, chap. 27. Research Paper due Mon. April 16: The Paris-New York Shift: Modernist Formalism and Alternatives - Gombrich, chap. 28. Tue. Apr. 17: The Emergence of Postmodernism and Architecture in the Twentieth Century. FINAL EXAM Print Bibliography of the History of Art (1991-99) SOME USEFUL REFERENCE WORKS Hans Biedermann, Dictionary of Symbolism (1992) Babette Bohn and James S. Saslow eds. A Companion to Renaissance and Baroque Art (2013) Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant, A Dictionary of Symbols (1994) Ian Chilvers, A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art (1998) Wolfgang M. Freitag, Art Books: A Basic Bibliography of Monographs on Artists 2 nd ed. (1997) Delia Gaze, ed. Dictionary of Women Artists (1997)
James Hall, Dictionary of Subject and Symbols in Art 2 nd ed. (2008) James Hall, Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art (1994) Charles Harrison, Paul Wood and Jason Geiger eds. Art in Theory, 1648-1815 (2000) Charles Harrison, Paul Wood and Jason Geiger eds. Art in Theory, 1815-1900 (1998) Charles Harrison and Paul Wood eds. Art in Theory, 1900-1990 (1992) Amelia Jones ed. A Companion to Contemporary Art Since 1945 (2006) Max Marmor and Alex Ross, Guide to the Literature of Art History 2 (2005) New Catholic Encyclopedia 15 vols., 2 nd ed. (2003) The Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture (1996) Conrad Rudolph ed. A Companion to Medieval Art (2006) Jane Turner, ed. The Dictionary of Art (1996) Online Lois Swan Jones, Art Information and the Internet: How to Find It, How to Use It (1999) ARTbibliographeis MODERN (1974-present) Art History Resources on the Web http://arthistoryresources.net/arthlinks.html Bibliography of the History of Art (1973-present) Google Art Project http://www.googleartproject.com/ Oxford Art Online (providing access to Grove Art Online)