A History of Violence: Art and Injustice Through the Ages

Catalog description

Artistic expression and violence have crossed paths often through the ages. A remarkable number of masterpieces from around the world tell stories of violence from myth and history, or react to systematic injustice through artistic expression. Stories of war, murder, gender-based violence, racism, colonialism, and many other types of force and coercion people have exercised over each other make up our histories and are documented through art. This course is a survey of the power and aesthetics of such narratives, from the Stone Age to contemporary art. We will learn about different art movements and individual works that address or depict violence. We will also learn about curatorial narratives around social justice issues and how museums are helping communities reckon with histories of violence.