Undergraduate Courses
ARTH201 Art of the Western World after 1300 (Professor Kim)
MTuWThF 12:30-3:30 (ASY 3211)
ARTH351 Twentieth Century Art from 1945 (Professor Choi)
MTuWThF 9:30-12:30 (ASY 3215)
ARTH389A Special Topics in Art History and Archaeology: The Art of Drawing: A Left and Right Brain Experience (Professor Bland)
MTuWThF 12:30-3:30 (ASY 3217)
ARTH389B Special Topics in Art History and Archaeology: The Art of Color: A Left and Right Brain Experience (Professor Bland)
MTuWThF 3:30-6:30 (ASY 3217)
ARTH389L Special Topics in Art History and Archaeology: Inventing the Contemporary Portrait (Professor Quick)
MTuWThF 1-4 (ASY 3215)
The genre of portraiture, often overlooked by scholars, is sometimes considered to be an antiquated or out-of-date art form. However, many contemporary artists, such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Elaine de Kooning, Chuck Close, Gillian Wearing, and Rineke Dijkstra, have explored this art form in depth, re-inventing and re-forming notions of what constitutes a portrait. This course examines transformations in portraiture during the twentieth century and beyond. We will investigate the various definitions of and purposes for portraits, exploring how artists have used portraiture to make statements of identity, to comment on celebrity culture, and as a form of documentary. In addition, we will look at precedents for recent portraiture, such as the portraits of Marcel Duchamp and the photographs of Richard Avedon. The course aims to broaden and complicate existing notions of portraiture and encourages students to consider the theoretical shifts that have influenced the production of contemporary portraits. The final project for the course will involve an in-depth investigation of an artist of the student's own choosing. As a part of the course, we will visit the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery to view the exhibition "Portrait Now: Feature Photography," which highlights the journalistic work of Katy Grannan, Jocelyn Lee, Ryan McGinley, Steve Pyke, Martin Schoeller and Alec Soth, as well as "Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraits," which examines the connections between portraiture, celebrity, and advertising. We will also have the opportunity to discuss these exhibitions with National Portrait Gallery curators.
ARTH489D Special Topics in Art History: Documentary and the Visual Construction of Reality (Professor Metcalf)
MTuWTh 1-4:30 (Hornbake Room-H)