Cynthia Packert
Christian A. Johnson Professor of History of Art
Email: cpackert@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5232
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 2:00 - 4:00 and Thursdays 11:00 - 12:00 p.m.
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Cynthia Packert is the Christian A. Johnson Professor and Chair of the Department of the History of Art and Architecture. She teaches courses on all aspects of Asian art, with a particular focus on India. She received her PhD from Harvard University in 1988, and has been teaching at Middlebury College since 1989. She is the author of The Sculpture of Medieval Rajasthan (E.J. Brill, 1997) and several articles on Indian art and iconography. Her research focuses on the visual culture of Hinduism, and she has recently published The Art of Loving Krishna: Ornamentation and Devotion (Indiana University Press, 2010). Her current project is focused on new Hindu temples in India and the North American diaspora, with special attention on the BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu community. She is also working on a collaborative museum exhibition project entitled Global Ganesha: Temple, Market and Museum.
detailed C.V.:
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
FMMC 0203 - Bollywood and 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
FYSE 1399 - The Ramayana ▲
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 2012, Fall 2013
HARC 0203 / FYSE 1261 - 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.
Spring 2009, 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
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 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 0300 / HARC 0303 - Colloquium in Art History
Colloquium in Art History
Topic is determined by the instructor - refer to section for the course description.
Spring 2010, Fall 2011
HARC 0335 / JAPN 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 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, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
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 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014
