Art History

This course examines the relationship between art and philosophy. Art is the fruit of practical life and the object of philosophical reflection. We gain insight into ourselves and our world through philosophical thought. The course discovers the historical origin and context of the major concepts regarding art, the background and meaning of philosophical discourses around art, and the process of formation and transfiguration of the definition of art and its critical categories.

Art can't be separated from temperament, but it can be self-conscious. Academic research on art issues is an effective path to self-conscious. The aesthetic study of art is different from general art research. Its main concern is not the technique, but the mechanism and connotation of the role of art. It mainly cultivates academic talents who understand art and can push art to consciousness, not talented and creative artists. Course topics: art and life; art and aesthetics; legacy of western aesthetic research; legacy of Chinese aesthetics research; modern transformation of aesthetics research; basic problems of modern art theory; core issue of modern art theory; and modern art practice and theory. Graded pass/no pass only

This course examines key issues and debates about the production, exhibition and circulation of contemporary art within an increasingly interconnected, yet unevenly developed contemporary art world. Concentrating on key case studies, which engendered, framed, investigated and reflected on contemporary art historical knowledge, this course explores the social, cultural and political contexts where they were created and presented, analyzing their form, content, reception and subsequent interpretation. Through the discussion of the legacies of these case studies, this course also interrogates the specific ways in which they have affected contemporary art and its display.

Course goals

After completing this course students are able to:

• identify the major protagonists and a number of key works
• distinguish some of the practical problems artists had to confront
• approach, describe and assess a work of art in its appropriate historical context
• judge material conditions and essential aesthetic qualities of paintings
• identify main trends in art historical research
• conduct a small-scale research using secondary sources
• gain an initial understanding of the institutional context of collections

If art, as Gombrich suggests, be taken to mean such activities as building temples and houses, making pictures and sculptures, or weaving patterns, then we come to realize that there is no people in the entire world without art. Nor has there been a period in history which did not yield fascinating creations of artistic virtuosity and imagination. Human expression in a visual form can be traced back to its strange beginnings in caves and on rock faces, and it is safe to say that it has not lost a bit of its appeal since. Starting from the oldest images that have come down to us decorating the ceilings of Altamira and Lascaux, from then on to delve into the documented history of art covering the period from the ancient world till the 1960s, this course will introduce the students to the fascinating world of visual arts and its most important monuments in the domains of architecture, sculpture and painting, as rendered in Gombrich’s Story of Art.
 

This course introduces the history of art in China, from its earliest manifestations in the Neolithic-period to the contemporary period. Major art forms to be studied may include ceramics, jade, architecture, painting and calligraphy. The social and cultural contexts of important art works from different periods in Chinese history are discussed. The course is intended for all students who are interested in Chinese art and culture.