Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
HARC 0100 - Monuments/Ideas in Western Art ▲ ▹
Monuments and Ideas in Western Art
This course is an introduction to the study of Western art history through an investigation of selected art works, considered individually and in broader contexts. The course chronicles the evolution in painting, sculpture, and architecture of the western world. It is designed for those who wish to build a broad acquaintance with the major works and ideas of Western art in their historical settings and to develop tools for understanding these works of art as aesthetic objects and bearers of meaning for the societies, groups, or individuals that produced them. Registration priority will be given to first and second year students. 2 hrs. lect./1 hr. disc.
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 0102 - Monuments and Ideas/Asian Art ▲
Monuments and Ideas in Asian Art*
This course is an introduction to the study of Asian art history through an investigation of selected art works, considered individually and in broader contexts. This course chronicles the evolution in painting, sculpture, and architecture, and other media of Asia. It is designed for those who wish to build a broad acquaintance with the major works and ideas of Asian art in their historical settings and to develop tools for understanding these works of art as aesthetic objects and bearers of meaning for the societies, group, or individuals that produced them. Registration priority given to first and second year students. 2 hrs. lect./1 hr. disc..
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013
HARC 0130 - Intro. to Architectural Design ▲ ▹
Introduction to Architectural Design
This is a studio course that introduces its members to the values and methods used in the practice of architecture, landscape architecture, and environmental art. A daily journal and intensive group and individual work within the studio space are requirements. This course demands an exceptionally high commitment of time and energy. The course's goals are to use the process of design to gain insight regarding individual and community value systems, and to provide basic experience in the design professions. It is recommended for anyone wishing to improve his or her appreciation for the built environment. Students should anticipate that substantial additional time will be required in the studio in addition to the scheduled class time. 6 hrs. lect./lab
Spring 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 0200 - Renaissance Architecture
Renaissance Architecture
A selective survey of Italian architecture from the inception of the great dome in Florence to the completion of that at St. Peter’s in Rome. In this course we will examine the works of major 15th and 16th century masters (Brunelleschi, Alberti, Bramante, Michelangelo, Palladio), conceptual approaches (perspective, classicism, neo-platonism, mannerism), and centers (Florence, Milan, Rome, Venice) to understand their potency for their time and as models for architectural production ever since. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2009, Spring 2011
HARC 0201 - Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance Art: 1350-1550
This course will focus on the art produced in Italy during the late fourteenth through the early sixteenth centuries. In addition to studying the chronological development of painting, sculpture, and architecture, we will consider such issues as artistic training, patronage, domestic life, and the literary achievements of this period of "rebirth." Focusing on urban environments such as Florence, Siena, Padua, Venice, Rome, and Urbino, we will give special attention to the manner in which artistic production was shaped by place. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2013
HARC 0202 - Modern Art ▹
Modern Art
In this course we will survey the major movements and artists in the history of modern art in Europe and the United States, from Impressionism to the postwar period. We will focus on the development of style, aesthetic concerns, and social contexts. Topics will include individual artists, such as Picasso and Matisse, as well as the development of styles, such as Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 0203 - Bollywood & Beyond
Bollywood and Beyond: Topics and Themes in Indian Cinema
Bollywood, the term given to the Indian film industry juggernaut in Bombay, India, has gained an avid following of millions of viewers world-wide. In this course we will seek to obtain a critical understanding of the history and development of the popular Indian film industry. We will explore the ideas and ideals of Indian art and visuality, notions of gender, idealized beauty, caste, class, religion, social norms, globalism, modernity, nationalism, and fundamentalism. Films are subtitled and no knowledge of another language is expected. 3 hr lect./disc., and readings will accompany evening screenings.
Fall 2011
HARC 0204 - Approaches to Islamic Art ▹
Approaches to Islamic Art
A survey of major expressions of Islamic art from the inception of Islam to the present, from all parts of the Islamic world. This is not a traditional survey; rather, it focuses on key monuments and important examples of portable and decorative arts: mosques, tombs, palaces, manuscript illumination, calligraphy, metalwork, textiles, ceramics, etc. We will consider their meanings and functions in their respective socio-historical contexts, and we will also analyze the impact of patronage and region. We will try to understand what general principles unify the richness and diversity of Islamic art: what is Islamic about Islamic art? Finally, we will address the issue of contemporary Islamic art. (No prerequisites). 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2012, Spring 2014
HARC 0205 - Pa/Sculp. 19th Century Europe
Painting and Sculpture of Nineteenth-Century Europe
During the 19th century, Paris was the capital of the art world, and the structure of this course will be based upon that central, undeniable fact. From the revolutionary 1780s until the Universal Exposition of 1900, we will consider 19th century painting and sculpture primarily as a Parisian phenomenon, with detours to other countries and cultural centers whenever appropriate. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2009, Spring 2011
HARC 0206 - Chinese Painting Trad & Innov
Chinese Painting: Tradition & Innovation
The history, philosophy, techniques and appreciation of China's unique and enduring traditions of painting and calligraphy—water, ink and pigments applied to silk or rice paper with the writing brush. The first half of this course will provide an overview of major artists and developments: early painting through Northern Song and Southern Song masterpieces, the rise of wenrenhua (literati painting) and painting theory on through the Yuan and Ming dynasties to the individualist masters of the early Qing. In the final third of the course we will explore developments in the last century and a half with considerable attention given to innovations and trends emerging among traditionally trained contemporary Chinese artists working in this medium in China, Taiwan and elsewhere. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2009
HARC 0209 - Venice in the Renaissance ▲
Venice in Renaissance
Venetian art was long shaped by its unique setting, distinctive political structure, and a collective identity enforced by its patrician leaders. In this course, we will engage in a close consideration of the socio-political conditions that both reinforced tradition and ultimately made way for a "golden age" in Venetian painting, sculpture, and architecture. Topics will include individual artists, such as Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, and Palladio, as well as artistic training and workshop practice, patronage, and the rise of Venetian humanism. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2013
HARC 0211 - American Design ▲
American Design
A historical survey of architecture and related design (especially furniture) in the United States from its colonization through the mid-twentieth century as a manifestation of colonial inheritances, foreign fashions, national outlooks, changing technologies, social and economic patterns, and native materials. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Fall 2013
HARC 0213 - Roman Art & Architecture ▹
Roman Art and Architecture
This course presents a chronological survey of the developments in architecture, sculpture, painting, and the decorative arts of Republican and Imperial Rome, from the eighth century B.C. to the fourth century A.D. Issues discussed include the relation between public and private art, art in the service of social ideology and political propaganda, the impact of breakthroughs in technology and engineering, the artistic exchanges between Greece and Rome, and the interactions between center (Rome) and periphery (the provinces). 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2010, Spring 2014
HARC 0214 - Northern Renaissance Art
Northern Renaissance Art: The Rhetoric of the Real
This course will provide students with an overview of art objects created in a variety of media in Northern Europe between the 15th and 16th centuries. We will analyze the changing uses of art in cultures where people defined themselves and the depths of their piety in relation to their material wealth and social standing. During the last few weeks of the semester, the class will look at the emergence of genre painting and the representation of peasant life. We will consider how these phenomena were tied to the histories and careers of individual artists and their workshops. General questions will include: How does the convincing representation of "reality" make for a persuasive image? What are the benefits of fusing secular and religious subject matter? Is it valid to speak of a new artistic self-awareness? 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2011, Spring 2013
HARC 0216 - Medieval Art
The Power of the Image in the Middle Ages
We live in a society saturated with images, but in the medieval period the average person encountered pictures only within a limited range of contexts. In this course we will examine architecture, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, and luxury artworks of the fifth through the 15th centuries in Europe and will consider the significances these works held for their original viewers. Key topics include: the image in Christian devotion, the role of the luxury arts in royal propaganda, the use of the image to crystallize stereotypes, and the status of the female figure as embodiment of positive and negative forces. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2010, Fall 2012
HARC 0217 - Art of the Middle Ages
Art of the Middle Ages
In this course we will survey European art and architecture from the fall of Rome to the late 13th century. Among the topics to be discussed are Irish monasticism and its art forms; Romanesque art and architecture; and the great Gothic cathedrals of Chartres, Bourges, Paris, Reims, and Amiens. In addition to examining the structural principles of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, we will discuss the development of medieval sculpture and iconography. Other topics to be considered are the design of stained glass windows, illuminated manuscripts, and late medieval tapestries. 3 hr. lect.
Fall 2009
HARC 0218 - History of Photography ▲
History of Photography
In this course we will consider the history of photography as a medium from its inception in 1839 to the present. We will focus on technological advances in photography, aesthetic developments, and the evolution of acceptance of photography as an art form. We will examine the use of photography in different genres, such as landscape, portraiture, and documentation. To illustrate our study, we will rely on examples of photographs available in the Middlebury College Museum of Art. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2012, Fall 2013
HARC 0219 - Early Medieval &Romanesque Art ▲
Understanding Early Medieval and Romanesque Art: Seeing Ste. Foy
This course is an introduction to key artworks and architectural monuments made and built in Europe during the eighth through twelfth centuries. We will study such structures as Charlemagne's Palace Chapel and the reliquary statue of Ste. Foy at Conques to explore how these monuments were products of independent cultures that valued the creation of a visual fusion between the Judeo-Christian God and humankind. Likely lines of inquiry include: the persistence of a Classical ideal and its myriad adaptations; the coordination of art objects to specific locations; and, not least, the self-conscious staging of political and ecclesiastical power. 3 hrs lect.
Fall 2013
HARC 0220 - Art of the City ▲
The Art of the City
A study of humanity's most complex and critical physical monument, from ancient agoras to edge cities. City form in general (historical and ideal) and great cities, urban environments, and city designers in particular will be surveyed from antiquity to the present in an investigation of changing purposes, elements, and organization. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2009, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013
HARC 0221 - Greek Art & Archaeology
Greek Art and Archaeology
This course explores the artistic expression in architecture, urbanism, sculpture, and painting in the ancient Greek world (Greece, Sicily, southern Italy, and western Turkey). The chronological range spans from the late Neolithic period and the Aegean Bronze Age (with its Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean civilizations) to the formative archaic period, the classical moment during the age of Perikles, and the cosmopolitan Hellenistic age, ending with the advent of Imperial Rome in 31 BC. Special emphasis will be placed on how Greek art production related to developments in politics, history, literature, and science. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2009, Spring 2011, Spring 2013
HARC 0222 - Chinese Art & Culture
Chinese Art and Culture
In this course, we will explore the history of art in China from the Neolithic to the contemporary world. Major themes will include the evolution of, and challenges to, "Chinese" culture; the function of art and culture in state power; religious art and architecture; landscape as cultural expression; and art and society in 20th and 21st century China. Through these and other topics, we will explore questions surrounding the creation and reception of art, and art as touchstone in identity formation. Discussion of primary sources, including objects in the College's museum and library collections, will be a major component of the course. 3 hrs lect./disc.
Fall 2010
HARC 0223 - Classical Trad in Architecture
The Classical Tradition in Architecture: A History
From the Late Bronze Age to the postmodern present, this course traces the development of the classical formal language in western architecture. With elements, orders, and canons developed by the Greeks, the classical tradition first flourished as an "international style" under the Romans. After a setback during the Middle Ages, the classical tradition reemerges with vigor during the Renaissance, displays great flexibility during the Baroque, and reconnects with antiquity during the Neoclassical period. Attention is given to the relationship between architectural styles and archaeological discoveries and to the assimilation of developments in building technology. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2010, Spring 2012
HARC 0225 - East Asian Architecture
Topics in East Asian Architecture
In this course we will survey the architecture of East Asia through a series of comparative case studies, placing particular emphasis upon the function of architecture within major cultural movements, as well as its role in the definition and spread of culture. Major topics will include religious, vernacular, and state architecture; landscape architecture; urbanism; representations of architecture and architectural space; architectural design and construction; and early modern, colonial, modern, and contemporary architecture. Through these topics, we will explore what may be learned through architecture about social, cultural, and political history, contemporary life, and the human experience. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2011, Spring 2012
HARC 0227 - Indian Painting
Poetry, Piety and Power: Indian Painting 1200-Present
This course considers the history, context, style, and significance of a broad spectrum of Indian painting traditions. We will look closely at Jaina and Hindu religious illustrations, the evocative courtly and religious imagery from the Rajput and other regional kingdoms, the extraordinarily refined and naturalistic Mughal imagery, the influence of colonialism, and the development of modern and contemporary works. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2009, Fall 2010
HARC 0229 - Islamic Art in India
Islamic Art in India
The advent of Islam as a major political power in the Indian subcontinent from the end of the 12th century produced new forms of art and architecture. We will consider how Islamic art traditions from other parts of the Islamic world were distinctively shaped and developed in India. The Muslim rulers of the Sultanates in North India, the Deccan, and the Mughal empire brought new traditions such as mosques, tombs (the Taj Mahal is the most famous), palace and garden design, lavish manuscript production, and imperial portraiture, where they were adopted and adapted in innovative ways. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2010
HARC 0230 - Modern Architecture ▹
Modern Architecture
Rotating skyscrapers, green roofs, and avant-garde museums: how did we arrive in the architectural world of the early 21st century? In this course we will survey the major stylistic developments, new building types, and new technologies that have shaped European and American architecture since the late 18th century. Students will learn about the work of major architects as well as key architectural theories and debates. Special emphasis will be placed on the cultural and political contexts in which buildings are designed. 2 hrs. Lect./1 hr. disc.
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 0231 - Architecture & Environment ▹
Architecture and the Environment
Architecture has a dynamic relationship with the natural and cultural environments in which it operates. As a cultural phenomenon it impacts the physical landscape and uses natural resources while it also frames human interaction, harbors community, and organizes much of public life. We will investigate those relationships and explore strategies to optimize them, in order to seek out environmentally responsive architectural solutions. Topics to be covered include: analysis of a building's site as both natural and cultural contexts, passive and active energy systems, principles of sustainable construction, and environmental impact. Our lab will allow us to study on site, "off-the-grid" dwellings, hay-bale houses, passive solar constructions and alternative communities, meet with "green" designers, architects, and builders, and do hands-on projects. 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. lab.
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Spring 2014
HARC 0232 - American Arch and Urbanism
American Architecture and Urbanism Since 1945
This course surveys the major changes in America’s built environment in the years since 1945. Students will learn about the work of leading postwar American architects as well as the developers and policy-makers whose decisions shaped the American landscape in an era of affluence and change. Major themes include the impact of European modernism on American architecture and urbanism, the evolution of new residential and commercial typologies, suburbanization, and the decline and redevelopment of the central city.
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011
HARC 0234 - The Ancient Roman City
Ancient Roman City: Pompeii and Beyond
The ancient Classical city reached its highest expression during the Roman Empire, when monumental public and private buildings created an elaborate stage for the enactment of civic life. In this course we will study the layout and architecture of Roman cities, 200 BCE - 500 CE, including the form and function of numerous building types. We will discuss political, religious, commercial, and private institutions, and analyze their influence on the built environment. We will focus on influential emperors such as Augustus, Hadrian, and Constantine, and on links between ancient and modern urbanism. Sites of study will include Pompeii, Rome, Ostia, Leptis Magna, Antioch, and Constantinople. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2010
HARC 0236 - Cities of Vesuvius
Cities of Vesuvius
The Bay of Naples was an international cultural crossroads in antiquity. Prominent in Classical mythology and first colonized by the Greeks at Cumae and Neapolis, the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Baiae later flourished there, favored by the rich and powerful. We will study the history, arts, politics, religion, and commerce of these various cities, 800 BCE - 100 CE. Readings will include ancient authors in translation and secondary sources. The environment (geology, seismology) will receive special emphasis as it led to the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, which doomed Pompeii and altered the landscape forever. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2011
HARC 0246 - American Painting to 1920 ▹
American Painting: Beginnings to the Armory Show
This course is an introduction to American painting from 17th century limner portraits to the rise of modernism in the twentieth century, with special attention to Copley, Cole, Church, Homer, Eakins, Sloan, and Bellows. Although we will trace the development of traditional categories of painting (landscape, portraiture, genre), our purpose will be to discover what the paintings tell us about the changing values and tastes of American culture. (Formerly HARC/AMCV 0246) 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2010, Spring 2014
HARC 0247 - Impressionism/Post-Impression ▲
Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
In this course we will examine the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements that evolved in France during the second half of the 19th century. Looking at artists such as Manet, Degas, Cassatt, and Monet, as well as Cézanne, Van Gogh, Seurat, and Gauguin, we will place their work in social and historical contexts that include the rise of the city, new opportunities for leisure, demographic change, and the breakdown of artistic establishments. When appropriate we will compare visual artistic production to parallel developments in literature and music. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2012, Fall 2013
HARC 0248 - Gold/Sex/Death at the Museum ▲
Gold, Sex, and Death at the Museum
Most visitors to museums notice the architecture, carefully chosen collections, and meticulously curated special exhibitions. However, behind this façade is a busy network of museum professionals coordinating every aspect of the institution’s life. Through readings and guest lectures, we will explore how directors, curators, and staff navigate the challenges facing the modern museum, such as establishing acquisitions policies in an increasingly uncertain art market, defining ethical standards for conservation, and addressing audiences with ever-changing needs. Speakers such as a curator, art critic, and conservator will contribute to our discussion, and attendance at a series of public talks is required. 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Fall 2012, Fall 2013
HARC 0249 - Art&Courtly Powr/Early Mod Eur
Art and Courtly Power in Early Modern Europe
From incest and assassinations to the noble pursuits of hunting and humanistic studies, the lives of sovereigns and their entourages at Renaissance and Baroque courts were varied and colorful. In this course we will explore the subjects and modes of art created for the enjoyment of secular princes and how they function as a tool of statecraft to consolidate their power. We will investigate urbanism and the styles and iconography of art and architecture at courts in Italy, Spain, France, Austria, and England. We will pay particular attention to the lives of courtiers, female artists, and other women. 3 hrs. lect/disc.
Fall 2012
HARC 0251 - Court, Castle, & Cathedral ▹
Court, Castle, and Cathedral: The Gothic World
This survey course will consider closely the major architectural monuments of the Gothic period in Western Europe, using them as a point of departure in a larger consideration of the artistic culture of this time. In looking at Gothic art and architecture, the class will ask some of the following questions: How were buildings embedded in the promotion of distinct political programs? How do liturgical considerations determine the shapes of buildings and sites? How can we track the emergence of a non-Christian "other" in art of all media? How can we characterize the visual and intellectual culture of "courtly love"? 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2011, Spring 2014
HARC 0253 - Painting in the Baroque
Painting and Passion in Baroque Art
Bernini, Velázquez, Poussin, Rubens, and Rembrandt--in this course, we will examine the major artists from Italy, Spain, France, and the Low Countries. From love affairs to bankruptcy, from murder to high acclaim, we will study the colorful lives of these intriguing artists as well as their dramatic works of art within their 17th century social and political contexts. 3 hrs. lect/disc.
Spring 2013
HARC 0260 - Contemporary Art
Contemporary Art: From Postmodernism to Globalization
In this course we will survey major developments in international art practice since 1960. We will discuss artists and movements from North and South America, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, and the Middle East. We will explore debates in traditional media, as well as the emergence of new conceptual paradigms, video and film, land art, installation and institutional critique, and strategies of appropriation. In addition to a focus on formal concerns, students will also discuss broader debates active in various spheres of postwar art and culture. Readings will include artist statements, critical and historical texts, as well as important theoretical material.
Fall 2009, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012
HARC 0261 - Ephemeral Art: 1960 to Present
Ephemeral Art: 1960 to the Present
Much artistic production of the last fifty years is not meant to endure. Land work erodes, performances end, and everyday materials decay. In this course we will explore the works of art that express or engage notions of the ephemeral and the transient, raising questions about both the structure and logic of the 'event.' In moving from "happenings" and Fluxus in the 1960s, to current developments in performance and installation, we will examine the formal, social, and political stakes in the lives and afterlives of fleeting works of art. Readings will include artist statements as well as historical and theoretical texts. 3hrs. lect.
Spring 2010
HARC 0262 - Stieglitz and Camera Work
Alfred Stieglitz and the Camera Work Era
In 1902, Alfred Stieglitz published the first issue of the magazine Camera Work, a landmark in the history of photography. Featuring hand-pulled photogravures, articles about pictorialist aesthetics, and reviews of books and exhibitions, the journal was, in Stieglitz's words, "the best and most sumptuous of photographic publications." Over the last two decades, the Middlebury College Museum of Art has amassed a fine collection of original photogravures from Camera Work. In this course, we will curate an exhibition of these photographs, placing them in the context of pictorialism and modernism in early 20th century American art and culture.
Spring 2011
HARC 0263 - Discipline/Coord/Prof Practice
Solar Decathlon 2011: Discipline Coordination & Professional Practice
The Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored Solar Decathlon is a competition to design and construct a solar-powered house. Middlebury College was recently selected to participate in the 2011 challenge. The objective of this studio course is to develop the schematic design for the approved project in accordance with the deliverables and deadlines set forth by the DOE. The main components of this course will include: architectural and construction detailing; structural engineering and coordination; mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering and coordination; landscape design; building code analysis and compliance; physical model construction; and building information modeling, 3D Studio Max computer modeling. Students in this course will work in partnership with students in the pre-construction management course. (This course may be accepted as an elective for the Architectural and the Environment focus in the Environmental Studies major with permission of the focus advisor; this course serves as a substitute for HARC 0231. Approval required; please contact Andrea Murray prior to registration).
Fall 2010
HARC 0264 - Art Change Global Environment
Art, Change, and the Global Environment
As threats to the global environment become ever more urgent, visual artists are increasingly addressing issues such as climate change, depleting resources, recycling, pollution, political tension, and social identity. In this course we will explore the rich and tenuous relationship among art, change, and the global environment by focusing on recent creative developments in Africa and India. We will work with a visiting exhibition, "Environment and Object: Recent African Art" at the Middlebury College Museum of Art, and will consider artistic developments in India aimed at rehabilitating the environment while affecting social change.
Spring 2012
HARC 0265 - Modern Latin American Art
Twentieth Century Latin American Art
In this course we will survey major developments in the art of Latin America from 1890 to the present. We will explore the rise of avant-gardism and abstraction, Mexican muralism, surrealism, kinetic art, neo-concrete art, and conceptualism, as well as the interaction between Latin Americans artists and their European and North American counterparts. We will also study the work of individual artists such as Diego Rivera, Joaquín Torres García, Wilfredo Lam, and Lygia Clark, among others. Readings will be drawn from artist's writings, criticism, primary documents, and recent art historical scholarship.
Spring 2013
HARC 0270 - Chinese Art
Chinese Art
This course is an introductory survey of the arts of China from the Neolithic period to the 20th century. Considering works in their original context and in museum collections, we will investigate how art objects and monuments reflect the religious beliefs, political agendas, and aesthetic preferences of their creators. At the same time, we will pay particular attention to the local development of artistic technologies, the role of ethnic and national identity in art production, and China's place in the larger histories of the Silk Road and modern international commerce and diplomacy. 3 hrs. lect. AAL, ART, HIS
Spring 2013
HARC 0300 - Colloquium in Art History
Colloquium in Art History
Topic is determined by the instructor - refer to section for the course description.
Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011
HARC 0301 - Ways of Seeing ▲
Ways of Seeing
In this course we will focus on the various methods and theories that can enrich and deepen our understanding of art, architecture, and visual culture. In this course students will hone their analytical skills, both verbal and written, often with recourse to objects from the College Museum and the campus at large. In general, this seminar will develop students’ awareness of objects of culture broadly construed, and sharpen their understanding of the scope and intellectual history of the field. To be taken during the sophomore or junior year as a prerequisite for HARC 0710 and HARC 0711. 3 hrs. sem
Spring 2012, Winter 2013, Fall 2013
HARC 0302 - Baroque Art Rome
Baroque Art: Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture of Seventeenth-Century Rome
During the period to be considered, Rome was the undisputed capital of the art world. From the vast projects of Pope Sixtus V to the death of Bernini, we will investigate the richness, diversity, and splendor of artistic creation under a church triumphant. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2010, Fall 2011
HARC 0303 - Krishna
Krishna and the Art of Devotion
Krishna, the beloved blue-skinned god of Hindu India, has been the focus of intense religious devotion for centuries. A rich artistic tradition of paintings, sculpture, poetry, music, dance, and drama represents the god in all his various aspects, illustrating and reenacting his life story and mythology. In this interdisciplinary seminar, we will explore the history, theology, iconography, and aesthetics that inform these diverse artistic productions. Topics covered will include iconographic analysis, the relationship between text and image, sectarianism and patronage, the idea of a sacred utopia, and the significance of aesthetics and visuality in Indian art and religion. We will focus on images and artistic productions produced from the 16th century to the present day. 3 hrs. sem. (Not open to students who took HARC 0300 in Spring 2010)
Fall 2011
HARC 0305 - Arts Comparison: East/West
Arts in Comparison: East/West
In this course we will compare and contrast specific works of Asian and European art to explore the historical, religious, and social underpinnings of these respective artistic traditions. Artistic exchanges between East and West, from antiquity to the present, will also be discussed in order to understand how the varying traditions encountered, responded to one another, and produced new forms of art. Topics will include images of Christ and the Buddha, paradise and hell, landscape paintings, gardens, Orientalism and Japonisme, and Gothic Lolita fashion. 3 hrs. lect/disc.
Spring 2013
HARC 0316 - Games and Their Meanings
HARC 0317 - Contemporary Chinese Art
From Mao to Now: Contemporary Chinese Art, 1976 to the Present
With the death of Chairman Mao in 1976, artists in China found themselves in a radically changed political and social environment, one that has evolved in the thirty years since the Great Helmsman's passing. In this course we will explore themes such as the relationship between the artist and the state, engagement with history and collective memory, the role of the global art market in contemporary artistic production, artistic response to major national turns, including the 1989 Tiananmen Square protestS, and the Beijing Olympics, and the impact of urbanization, commercialism, and other social pressures on art. Media to be studied will include painting, calligraphy, photography, sculpture, film, performance art, and architecture. Readings will draw heavily on artists' writings. We will also work closely with artworks in the College Museum.
Spring 2012
HARC 0319 - Portraiture
The American Face: Portraiture and Identity in American Culture
Portraits in their many forms have been part of American society since the seventeenth century. Why has the portrait been such a resilient form of expression in American culture? What is the relationship between portraiture and identity? And what role has photography played in the social function of portraiture in American life? This course will explore visual and literary portraits over the past 200 years-from public portraits and memorials to biography, caricature, snapshots, and Facebook. Students will be asked to create their own personal web page portraits and will conduct research on individual portraits in the Middlebury College Museum of Art permanent collection for a 2010 exhibit at the Museum. (Formerly HARC/AMCV 0319) 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2009
HARC 0323 - Art and Texts
Colloquium in Art History: Art and Texts
From antiquity through the 19th-century, most art in the Western tradition was derived from identifiable literary sources. Invention was calibrated by how well and with how much originality a visual artist depicted a scene from a textual source. In this course we will closely examine artistic interpretations of passages from the Old and New Testaments, The Apocrypha, the devotional literature of the 13th and 14th-centuries, The Iliad of Homer, and the Metamorphoses of Ovid. We will conclude with a case of parallelism, rather than direct influence: Zola's novel Nana and representations of prostitution in 19th-century Paris. (Not open to students who took HARC 0300 in Spring 2011) 3 hr. lect.
Spring 2012
HARC 0326 - Biography Of Artists
Biography of Artists and Art History
Giorgio Vasari presented the history of art as “lives of the artists” in his publications of 1550 and 1564, but in modern times art historians and critics have often regarded the use of biographical evidence with suspicion. In this course we will examine the lives of three Italian artists who lived during the 16th and 17th centuries: Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), Benvenuto Cellini (1500-71), and Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio (1571-1610), all of whom were homosexual or bisexual. The central question will be the usefulness of biographical data as a tool for interpreting their art. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2009, Spring 2012
HARC 0327 - Photography/Environ Ethos
Photography and the Environmental Ethos
Since the invention of photography in 1839, photographers have turned their gaze toward the world around them. Working on the land, they have considered issues of land management and natural resources in a variety of ways. In this course we will explore the question of how American photographers from the 19th century to the present have used their photographs as a way of raising awareness about a variety of environmental questions. Artists to be considered may include: Timothy O'Sullivan, William Henry Jackson, Carleton Watkins, Annie Brigman, Ansel Adams, Laura Gilpin, Richard Misrach, and Edward Burtynsky. 3 hrs. lect/disc.
Spring 2013
HARC 0328 - Global Influence/European Art
Early Modern Europe's Global Artistic Interactions
In this course we will examine Early Modern European art through a global perspective. We will investigate the artistic exchanges between Northern, Southern, and Eastern Europe as well as Europe's increasing interaction with the rest of the world during the Age of Exploration. By examining primary sources such as travel accounts, we will also explore the Europeans perception of the so-called Others, including Africans, Muslims, Indians, and Asians, was manifested in the visual arts. We will also examine the artistic repercussions between Europe and beyond as consequences of trade and missionary activities. (Not open to students who have taken HARC 1015) 3 hrs. lect/disc.
Fall 2012
HARC 0330 - Interm. Architectural Design ▲
Intermediate Architectural Design
This studio course emphasizes the thought and method of architectural design. Members of this studio will be involved in developing their insights towards cultural value systems and their expression in the environments they create. Participants work primarily in the studio space and rely heavily on individual instruction and group review of their work. The course provides a foundation for more advanced study in the areas of architecture, landscape architecture, and other fields related to the design of the built environment, and an opportunity to work with the Cameron Visiting Architect. An introduction to computer aided drawing is integrated into this course. (HARC 0130) 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. lab
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013
HARC 0331 - Architectural Utopias
The Utopian Impulse in Architecture
In this seminar we will explore the impulse to create the world anew through urban planning and architecture. From St. Augustine to the New Urbanism, the imagining and building of utopian communities has played a central role in architectural thought. We will see that while some utopias were built (and generally failed), many were never meant to serve as real prescriptions for human progress, but instead functioned as critical devices that challenged the status quo (while remaining impossible dreams of a more perfect world). By the conclusion of this course you will see architectural utopias as nuanced and complex constructions, and will be able to confidently read, describe and analyze scholarly secondary and primary texts in the field of architectural history, as well as buildings and urban spaces. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2013
HARC 0332 - Buildings in Context ▲
Buildings in Context
In this course we will focus on the various methods and theories that enrich and deepen our understanding of architecture and the built environment. This seminar will help students hone their analytical skills, both verbal and written, and provide them with the tools to probe the relationship of the built environment to professional practices and larger cultural forces. In general, students will gain an awareness of objects of culture broadly construed, and will sharpen their understanding of the scope and intellectual history of architecture. It is strongly encouraged that students majoring in Architectural Studies take this course in their second or third year. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2009, Spring 2011, Fall 2013
HARC 0334 - Chinese Landscape
The Chinese Landscape
In this course we will explore the cultural, imaginative, and physical construction of the landscape throughout Chinese history, with a particular interest in gardens and their analogues. We will consider landscapes as expressions of identity and conceptions of the natural and the human. Topics will include gardens and landscape as social, economic, religious, political, poetic, and metaphysical space; landscape architecture and design; cultural landscapes, nature as garden; and landscape as historical artifact and evidence. We will explore the landscape through critical readings, paintings, prints, maps, film, and the land itself. (Approval required; One course in Architectural Studies, History of Art and Architecture, Environmental Studies, or East Asian Studies recommended.) 3 hrs. sem.
Fall 2010
HARC 0335 - Sacred Japan
Sacred Japan: Religion, Nature, and the Arts
This seminar style course will provide students with an interdisciplinary study of key concepts, monuments, rituals, and works of art in the Shinto and Buddhist religions of Japan. We will consider the history of Buddhist art and its interaction and synthesis with native Shinto beliefs through an examination of Ise Shrine, Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines in Nara and Kyoto, mountain temples, and Mount Fuji. Zen temples and gardens will also be discussed. Some familiarity with the history or art of Japan is preferable, but not required. 3 hrs. sem.
Fall 2009
HARC 0337 - Art Culture Soc in Ming China
Art, Culture, and Society in Ming China
In this course we will explore China during the Great Ming (1368-1644), a period of remarkable transformation on all levels of society. Through discussions of visual and material culture, patterns of social life, and political and economic developments, we will consider topics such as the evolution of painting and the emergence of a historiographical art; printing, communication, and regionalism; landscape, from agricultural land to gardens; travel, famous sites, and collective memory; commerce, consumerism, and anxieties of class; war, the Ming-Qing transition, and dynastic memory; and others. Readings will draw from art history, history, and cultural geography, as well as from primary sources. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2011
HARC 0339 - Home: The Way We Live
Home: The Why behind the Way We Live
In this course we will examine the development of numerous housing types in America (with references to Europe). The prevalence of the single-family home today and its importance as the symbol of the "American dream" was never a forgone conclusion. In fact, the American home has been the focus of and battleground for: cooperative movements, feminism, municipal socialism, benevolent capitalism, as well as government interventions on a national scale. Therefore, the class will examine texts and visual material that introduce the numerous debates related to the form the American home should take.
Fall 2012
HARC 0345 - Four American Artists
American Modernism: Four Masters
In this course we will examine the art and lives of four masters of American modernism: Ansel Adams, Georgia O'Keeffe, Man Ray, and Joseph Cornell. While Adams and O'Keeffe projected nationalist and environmental themes in their work, Man Ray and Cornell offered a European-based Surrealist approach. Through examining these artists and the interconnections between them, we will consider photography, painting, sculpture, and film in the context of American modernist art. Questions to be considered include: what makes art modern? What is the role of national identity? How do artists work in a variety of media? What makes these artists important? 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2010, Spring 2011
HARC 0350 - Case Studies in Visual Cult.:
Case Studies in Visual Culture: American Paintings from the Shelburne Museum
During the 2010 spring semester, the Middlebury College Museum of Art will have on loan approximately forty paintings and drawings from the permanent collection of The Shelburne Museum. These works of art, which range in date from the 18th-century to the early 20th-century, will include portraits, still-lifes, landscapes, and genre paintings. In this seminar-style course students will have the opportunity to investigate the social context that led to the creation of such works and select individual paintings as subjects for research papers and public presentations. (HARC 0100, HARC/AMST 0246, or by waiver) 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2010
HARC 0360 - Art, Community, Dissent
Art, Community, Dissent
In this seminar we will focus on artistic reactions to both social and political events. We will explore responses to wars past and present, the AIDS crisis, and various themes associated with globalization. Concurrent with discussions of artistic praxis, we will think through the idea of community and the relevance of recent theoretical debates surrounding the term to current art making. Class meetings will focus on a particular thematic issue, case studies of artists or exhibitions, or on a foundational critical text. Readings will draw from critical venues like Artforum and October as well as from historical and theoretical sources. 3 hrs. Sem
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011
HARC 0361 - Minimalism
Minimalism: Art, Objects, and Experience
In Artforum in 1966, the sculptor Robert Morris defended his plain, geometric objects, arguing: “Simplicity of shape does not necessarily equate with simplicity of experience.” Such a position has come to define minimalism, one of the most important artistic practices of the postwar era in North America. In this seminar we will explore the development of minimal art across a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, film, and music. We will focus on the practices of individual artists (Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin) as well as broader theoretical arguments. Students will situate figures and debates historically and also explore their contemporary influence. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2010, Spring 2013
HARC 0370 - How Asian Art is Made ▹
Potter, Painter, and Goldsmith: How Asian Art is Made
In this seminar we will explore the manner in which the distinctive artistic traditions of China, Korea, and Japan were shaped by the materials and techniques available to ancient craftsmen. Some of these technologies remained localized, while others—like porcelain and silk—went on to transform world history by fueling major export markets. Through observation of objects from the Middlebury Museum of Art, we will explore such questions as: How was Asian art made; Why was it made that way? What was its historical impact? Topics will include jade and other hardstones, bronze, textiles, ceramics, painting, lacquer, glass, and gold.
Spring 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 0404 - Joseph Cornell and Assemblage
Joseph Cornell and the Art of Assemblage
Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) created collages and assemblage boxes that are among the most interesting and influential works of 20th-century American art. By placing Cornell's art and life into larger frames of Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Pop Art, students will consider such issues as creative process, popular culture, and multi-contextuality. In particular, we will examine the question of assemblage, not just in Cornell's signature box constructions, but also in his compilation films and flat collages. Using the online resources of the Archives of American Art, students will do primary research on original topics.
Spring 2009
HARC 0405 - Confusions of Pleasure
Confusions of Pleasure: Early Modern Culture in China and Europe
In this course we will explore how the social, economic, demographic, and technological transformations associated with early modernity inflected the visual, literary, and material cultures of Early Modern China and Europe. We will focus on internal phenomena and the influences of globalization. Through investigation of various genres and media, including painting, prints, drama, fiction, and porcelain, we seek to understand central cultural preoccupations of the age, including anxiety over imitation and falsification, the elevation of the exotic and peculiar, and the quest for authenticity. Readings in secondary literature will be paired with primary texts. To study selected primary texts in Chinese, register for INTL 0405B. This course is equivalent to CHNS 0405 and INTL 0405. 3 hrs. sem.
Fall 2011
HARC 0409 - Art Museums: Theory & Practice
Art Museums: Theory and Practice
American museums are more complex places than simple collections of objects on display. This course provides an intensive introduction to that world. Participants are made aware of the history of the art museum and its role in American life. The overall orientation of the course is with practical problems and the diverse nature of museum issues. Topics include: politics and censorship, patronage, collections, ethics, conservation, connoisseurship, installation design, and the art market. Students work on the development of an exhibit for the Museum. The course will have a seminar format with an emphasis on discussion, research papers, and field trips. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2011
HARC 0420 - Visual Culture of the Americas
Visual Cultures of the Americas
From murals to monuments and telenovelas to veladoras, this bilingual [Spanish/English] seminar will explore the role of visual expression in the history of cultural formation throughout the Americas. We will take a hemispheric and transnational approach to our studies. As such, two related premises inform the material we will examine: images traverse the boundaries of nation-states, and they are intrinsically tied to the developments of modern history. We will combine theoretical works with a variety of still and moving images (artifacts of mass culture, photography, artwork, film, mixed media, and performance) to study the relationship between "visuality" and flows of culture throughout Latin and Anglo Americas. This course is equivalent to AMST 0420 and INTL 0420. 3 hr. sem.
Spring 2012
HARC 0432 - Race, Space, and Place
Race, Space, and Place: Identity, Difference, and the Built Environment
In this course we will explore modern American architecture, landscapes, and urban spaces through the critical lens of race. We will investigate the hidden and explicit ways in which race has structured the American built environment, and we will discuss how we can use the built environment to understand racial formations, identities, and experiences. Drawing on recent scholarship in urban studies, geography, and race and ethnic studies, we will focus on specific buildings and sites that help us understand the intersections of race, space, and place. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2010, Spring 2012
HARC 0510 - Advanced Studies ▲ ▹
Advanced Studies
Supervised independent work in art history. (Approval Required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 0530 - Independent Architect. Design ▲ ▹
Supervised independent work in architectural analysis and design. (Approval Required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 0540 - Independent Museum Studies ▲ ▹
Supervised Independent Work in Museum Studies
This practicum builds upon the Museum Assistants Program (MAP), the hands-on museum education program at the Middlebury College Museum of Art. In MAP, the Curator of Education trains students to conduct tours of the Museum’s permanent collection and of special exhibitions for audiences of peers, school groups, and the general public. Combining service learning with the opportunity to both support and learn more about the arts, students gain expertise in public speaking, art history, and public programming. To register for this course students have completed two semesters of MAP. The class will culminate with a public presentation on a museum-related topic evaluated by a faculty member of the Department of History of Art & Architecture. (Approval required; HARC 0100 or HARC 0102, and two semesters of MAP)
Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 0700 - Methods & Theories in Art Hist
Methods and Theories in the History of Art
This seminar is designed for art history majors and is required of them. We will endeavor to reach a critical understanding of the range of methodologies employed in art historical research and writing, thereby preparing students to undertake their senior thesis work. 3 hrs. sem.
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012
HARC 0710 - Senior Research Seminar ▲
Senior Research Seminar
In this course students will conceive, undertake research, and plan the organization of their senior theses in art history or senior museum studies projects. Seminar discussions and workshops will focus on research strategies, conventions in art historical writing, project design, and public presentation skills. (HARC 0301; Approval Required) 3 hr. sem.
Winter 2010, Winter 2011, Winter 2012, Winter 2013, Fall 2013
HARC 0711 - Senior Thesis: History of Art ▲ ▹
Senior Thesis: History of Art *
This course is a continuation of HARC 0710 which consists of ongoing, supervised independent research with an advisor, plus organizing, writing, and presenting a thesis, which will be due on a Friday, two weeks before the end of classes. (HARC 0301 and HARC 0710)
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 0730 - Methods & Theories/Arch Design
Methods & Theories in Architectural Design
Architectural design might be described as a critical and creative form of problem solving. In this course, students will examine the various ways in which architects have conceptualized and responded to fundamental architectural problems involving form, technology, and society. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the kinds of problems that design can address; compare various methodological and theoretical approaches; and identify the issues, methods, and theories that interest them the most in their own work. This course is required of seniors in the Architectural Studies track and designed to prepare them for the senior design project. (HARC 0130 and HARC 0330, or an approved substitute course in studio design for the latter) Note: Students may be enrolled in HARC 0330 and HARC 0730 concurrently.
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012
HARC 0731 - Senior Architectural Design I ▲
Senior Architectural Design I
This studio course constitutes the first part of the two-term senior design project in Architectural Studies. Pre-design research includes precedent study, programming, site analysis, and formulation of a thesis to be investigated through the design process. Preliminary design work begins with conceptual studies, and culminates in a coherent schematic design, to be developed further in Senior Architectural Design, Part 2. Students present their work in graphic, oral, and written formats. (HARC 0330 or HARC 0332) 6 hrs. sem.
Spring 2009, Winter 2010, Winter 2011, Winter 2012, Winter 2013, Fall 2013
HARC 0732 - Senior Architectural Design II ▹
Senior Architectural Design II
This studio course constitutes the second part of the two-term senior design project in Architectural Studies. Building upon the architectural research, analysis, and preliminary design work conducted during the fall semester, students develop their thesis projects to a higher level of understanding and refinement. Students also engage in intense peer review and work with visiting design critics, concluding with public presentations of the final projects, and a project portfolio describing all aspects of the completed design. (HARC 0731) 6 hrs. sem.
Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014
HARC 1004 - Collecting Photography Now
Collecting Contemporary Photography
The students in this course will participate in the selection of contemporary photography, film, and video art for the Middlebury College Museum of Art. We will engage in ongoing independent research, make PowerPoint presentations on numerous artists, post our research on a class website, and evaluate works under consideration, explaining the basis for their recommendations. The selection process involves readings, interviews of artists and dealers, and collaboration on class and public presentations. In conjunction with the course work there will be a required class trip to New York museums and galleries. (Approval required; please contact the instructor via email, donadio@middlebury.edu).
Winter 2010, Winter 2011
HARC 1010 - Museum Studies: Exhibit Design
Museum Studies: Exhibit Design
In this course we will explore the many aspects of the exhibit design process in a museum setting–from object care and interpretation through space analysis, display furniture design, graphics, and lighting. Utilizing slides, readings, and discussions, the class will explore the history of exhibit design from Victorian curiosity rooms to current trends in interactive exhibits and designing for the disabled. Through hands-on exercises, model making, and electronic CAD and graphics programs, students will experiment with exhibit lighting, gallery layouts, and graphic design.
Winter 2013
HARC 1011 - Architectural Representation
Story Telling: Architectural Representation and Presentation
A successful architectural project requires the successful communication of that project. In the studio setting, projects exist only through their representation. In this course we will learn successful representational and communication techniques used by architects as a basis for understanding how to communicate design ideas. Students will investigate and use traditional and emerging techniques for presentation, continually communicating all ideas and discoveries visually. Students will then undertake the design of a pavilion on the Middlebury campus, focusing on the effective visual and oral communication of their solution. (HARC 0130 or by waiver)
Winter 2011
HARC 1012 - Chinese Painting/VisualCulture
Chinese Painting and Visual Culture
In this course we will explore the history of painting and visuality in China. Themes include the tension between tradition and innovation in painting and aesthetic theory, the practice and politics of painting, the democratization of culture through printing, and art as medium for identity. We will treat paintings as primary documents that speak both to their content and to the social environment of their creation. We will also consider them as material objects with lives and afterlives of their own. Readings will be taken from primary sources, including colophons, theoretical writings, personal essays and artists’ biographies, as well as secondary literature. This course counts as elective credit towards the History of Art & Architecture major.
Winter 2012
HARC 1013 - Writing About Florence
Writing About Florence
This course will offer a close examination of the great building projects of Medieval and Renaissance Florence -- from the Baptistery and Cathedral to the Uffizi, Laurentian Library, and Pitti Palace – with focus on their historic context, patrons (including the Medici and Rucellai), artists (including Brunelleschi, Alberti, and Michelangelo), history, and significance. In the process, we will explore various genres of art-historical writing, involving description, comparison, biography, historical narrative, and scholarly argument. This course counts as elective credit towards the History of Art & Architecture major.
Winter 2012
HARC 1014 - Bauhaus Vorkurs
'Experiencing the Bauhaus Vorkurs*
The Bauhaus, in the words of its originator, was an ‘idea’. This idea—a state run experiment in arts education during the Weimar Republic—remains one of the most powerful underlying generators for modern design from buildings to furniture available at IKEA. Fundamental design principles were introduced through an intensive course, the Vorkurs, taught by luminaries Itten, Kandinsky and Albers. In this course we will experience a condensed Vorkurs. Content will include historical background for design principles which will be explored through hands-on design workshops. No prior artistic proclivities needed, just a desire to experience expressing one’s inner self through form.
Winter 2013
HARC 1015 - Early Modern European Art
“Beyond Europe” in Early Modern European Art*
An elephant from India for the pope, turbaned Muslim merchants in Venice, a samurai ambassador to European courts, and appalling cannibalism in the New World—the visual arts of Europe from the fifteenth to seventeenth century reflected Europeans’ increasing encroachment on, and interaction with, the world beyond. By considering works by artists such as Bellini, Dürer, Raphael, Bernini, and Rubens, we will examine how Europeans depicted peoples and animals from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas in the early modern period. We will also examine the artistic exchanges between Europe and beyond as consequences of trade and missionary activities.
Winter 2013
