African-American Art

Catalog description

This course explores black art and culture in the twentieth century. We will focus on the artworks themselves and, when possible, the artist's dialogue. Events in United States history such as the emancipation from slavery and the Civil War Era, the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz Age, Great Depression, Civil Rights Movements, AIDS crisis of the 1980s, and the Los Angeles race riots of the 1990s are used as context to understand black art and culture. While art works created by African-American artists are the primary focus, Cuban and Haitian art and artists are also considered. Throughout the course there is a focus on thinking critically when looking at art as well as how to articulate ideas in writing.