Art History

In this course, the art of the later Middle Ages from approximately 1300 to the 1530s is studied from a perspective where the art works are seen as manifestations of the visual culture of the period. Rather than approaching them as works of art in the conventional sense, the course focuses on the way the objects have made sense to their original beholders by virtue of the visual and material qualities that constitute their essential characteristics. It reviews medieval theories of vision, visuality, and materiality, and discusses the perception, reception, and use of images in various cultic settings, i.e., from Norwegian stave churches to convents on the European continent, as well as in secular contexts. The discussions concern art works of various media, with some extra attention given to manuscripts, relics/reliquaries, and polychrome sculpture. The course is taught as a combination of lectures and seminars which take place either at campus or in museum collections. 

This course explores the place of food in art in France, with a focus on the modern and contemporary periods. The course studies representations of food as a means to survey the evolution of French art within a global context, and as significant markers of social, ethnic, and cultural identity. An analysis of these depiction provides the opportunity to learn about dietary and dining customs, habits and beliefs prevalent in France from the early modern period to the present. The course begins by decoding the archetypal representations of succulent food in the still life and genre painting of 16th-17th century Holland, then examines how the rise of these previously minor artistic genres in 18th century France coincided with the birth of French gastronomy. Frivolous depictions of aristocrats wining, dining, and indulging in exotic beverages like coffee and hot chocolate then give way in post-Revolutionary France to visions of austerity and “real life,” featuring potato-eating peasants. The focus then shifts to representations of food and dining in the age of modernity, when Paris was the undisputed capital of art, luxury, haute cuisine, and innovation. Drawing from these pictorial and social innovations, the course observes the place of food and dining themes in the avant-garde movements of early 20th-century Paris. The course questions the place of food—or its absence--in art to capture the suffering and violence of upheavals like the Second World War. The course considers the place of food and dining in contemporary art: from the Pop Art movement calling into question postwar consumer society through its representations of industrialized, mass-produced food; to contemporary creators in a plural and globalized art scene who use these traditional themes to challenge the status and roles of the artist, the spectator, and the work of art itself; to how depictions of food in visual art grapple with multiculturalism in France today.

This course examines the diversity and specificity of contemporary popular arts using aesthetic perspectives. We analyze popular arts as a everyday experience as well as a collective experience using the main concepts of aesthetics such as art, aesthetic experience, and aesthetic sensitivity, and thereby cultivate liberal humanity that connects cultural experiences with critical theories. Through classes that look back on popular arts as easy, familiar, and entertaining, from critical and reflective approaches, we seek to gain a new perspective on the popular 'art'. To this end, we survey previous studies, debates, and perspectives on "popular art". We also look at representative examples which show the transformations of genres and medium, and examine how they have forces the aesthetics to adjust its methodologies and perspectives. Popular art is not only for the masses, but also an art given to the masses. And it is often created by the masses themselves. Through the multifaceted analysis and understanding of the stereoscopic aspect of these popular arts, we gain a new dimension of public, culture, art, and sensitivity.

The course focuses on the principal facts and crucial questions regarding Italian art from the fifteenth century to the end of the eighteenth century. In particular, the technical methods that define style and form, iconography, and technique and the connections to the historical, social and cultural timeframe in which the works of art were produced. Students are expected to become familiar with the key themes and particularities of the period along with the ambitions of the artists themselves. Students are also expected to be able to identify and comment on the works of the most representative artists and movements of the periods. It begins with the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci and concludes with the careers of Antonio Canova and Jacques-Louis David. It focuses on artists, movements, and essential topics, and at the same time provides students with the tools for understanding and analyzing the works of art, in relation to their historical and cultural context, their style, iconography, and technique. Students are expected to complete the knowledge and skills acquired during lectures with the assigned background readings.