This course is designed to introduce you to the field of art history, that is, to what art historians of any specialty do when we study works of art. It broaches several topics within the history of art such as site-specific installation, the readymade, the history of commemorative sculpture, and the convergence of photography and performance art. It is not a survey but instead features a series of seminar-like explorations into particular works of art. Divided into four units, it will facilitate consideration of the ways in which artists reference and converse with-- sometimes intentionally, sometimes not-- previous art historical periods and genres, as well as cultural and visual traditions more broadly. Each unit in the course begins with and hinges on a close examination of a contemporary art piece. Subsequent weeks in each unit dive into the various topics integral to the study of those particular works. When we focus on Mickalene Thomas’s A Little Taste Outside of Love (2007), for instance, we will address the reclining female nude, the concept of the gaze, the collage aesthetic, the legacy of Orientalism and “othering,” and finally the visual rhetorics of Blackness and post-Blackness in the history of art. By the end of the course, you should have an intimate sense of some critical art historical tropes, as well as the deep investigative work of art history that incorporates related fields of social, political, and cultural history, as well as material and popular culture.
- Instructor: Clara Barnhart