Art History

This course examines how art and visual culture in Europe and the United States both reflected and shaped the cultural discourses of politics, class, gender, race, religion, and science that accompanied these ongoing changes. Particular attention will be paid to processes of industrialization, urbanism, and colonialism and their effects on art’s making and reception from the French Revolution (1789) through the beginning of World War I (1914). In addition to painting, drawing, and sculpture, we will chart the development of emerging media from new printmaking technologies to photography and early film. 

This course examines perspectives on biomedicine through the lens of art. Students follow a series of original podcasts that bring together leading Australian scientists and artists to discuss how real-world scientific problems can be solved through artists’ creative thinking. The topics investigated represent the most pressing biomedical concerns including death, stem cell technology, the brain and consciousness, cancer, personhood and infectious diseases.

The course presents a study of twentieth century art by examining the works of prominent artists of various avant-garde movements from 1905 through 1960. It discusses art prior to World War I (fauvism, German expressionism, cubism, futurism, Russian avant-garde); art during World War I (dada, neo-plasticism, Russian constructivism and realism); art between World War I and World War II (Bauhaus, the return to order, trends of the 1930s); architecture prior to World War II; and art after World War II (American informalism, abstract expressionism, geometric abstraction).

This course discusses the various creative fields in which Barcelona has been a pioneer. Topics include: urban design, art, culture, design and fashion, theater, dance, music.

The course examines several approaches to key players – director, curator, patron, architect – through case studies, site and/ or virtual visits, analyses, review-writing, and a practical exercise in curating. Part I departs from the concept of museum script to consider the agency of curatorship. Part 2 considers forms of agency exercised by modern patrons in public museums. Students research an aspect of curatorship for their term paper.

This course examines Spanish culture and society today through a study of its history and art. Topics include: Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Metal Age; Iberians and Celts; Roman Empire; Visigoths; Islam and Al Andalus; Christian kingdoms; late Middle Ages and Catholic Monarchs; empire of Charles I; Bourbons in Spain; Enlightenment; colonization and independence of American colonies; first and second republics; Franco dictatorship and transition to democracy; Spain and the European Union.

This course provides a study of artistic movements that have taken place in Spain from the 16th century to the present day. It analyzes the stylistic characteristics of the Renaissance, Baroque, Romanticism, Cubism and Surrealism. Particular attention is give to Spanish art within the European context, as well aspects of patronage or the art market. The course includes an examination of fundamental Spanish artists such as El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Picasso or Dalí, and their works in relation with artists from other European geographical areas.

This interdisciplinary course explores the diversity of the visual and performing arts in Southeast Asia, including ancient temple art, living traditional art (such as textiles, puppets, weapons, painting, theatre, and music), as well as modern and contemporary art. The focus is on understanding the arts as they are experienced in local contexts; and on change, cross-cultural inspirations, and global flows, in the past and today. In tutorials, students learn to play traditional music. On an overseas fieldtrip, students explore the arts in a particular area and interact with artists.

This course explores the architectural and pictorial inheritance of France, including urban and countryside architecture, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts. It focuses on the architecture of Bordeaux and the region of Aquitaine during the 19th century. It presents the remarkable sites of the New Aquitaine region listed as World Heritage by UNESCO by analyzing some works to better understand them. The course discovers the region and its rich heritage through the ages, from prehistory with the parietal caves of the Dordogne to the contemporary era with the city of Fruges by Le Corbusier, passing through the Middle Age and modern times. Various arts are analyzed, including visual art, painting, sculpture, and the art of space which concerns architecture and heritage. Similarly, the course studies several styles, in particular Romanesque art, Gothic art, and classical art to acquire an artistic culture.