Art History: Renaissance to Modern Art in the West

Catalog description

This course will provide an introduction to the field of art history by discussing the development of artistic production from the early Renaissance period to our own contemporary moment. Our lessons will deal with key issues in the history of art, including questions about what constitutes a “work of art” and how art has a history. We will discuss “art” in its broad definitions—its artists, media (painting, sculpture, architecture, printmaking, design, and the decorative arts), and institutions (from art academies, to museums, to exhibitions). We will learn how art’s history intersects with other social and cultural developments, such as religious practices and political Movements. The course will engage with art history’s canons of objects and methods of inquiry in order to discover the dynamic boundaries of the field and its relevance for both life and art today.