Modern Art in London

This course is a special edition and equivalent of the modern art survey offered annually by the Department ofHistory of Art & Architecture (ArH 353 Modern Art). It introduces students to major works and movements inmodern art roughly from the last three decades of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the Second WorldWar. Movements to be covered include Impressionism, Aestheticism, Symbolism, Expressionism, Futurism,Cubism, Constructivism, Dada, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism.

Women in Art: From Inspiration to Creation

Women in Art: From Inspiration to Creation is a multidisciplinary exploration of the history and evolution of women in the arts, particularly within Italy from the 16th century to modern times. This course examines the transition of women from being mere subjects in artworks to becoming influential artists themselves. Through lectures, discussions, and immersive site visits, students will gain insights into significant female artists and their contributions, such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Plautilla Nelli, and contemporary creators.

ARH 150: Introduction to Visual Culture

Introduces students to a wide variety of methods for looking at and analyzing images and objects of visual culture beyond the rarefied categories of art. Concepts and methods will be drawn not only from art history but also from literary studies, anthropology, archaeology, and media studies. Works examined will include photographs, paintings, advertisements, icons, monuments, and applied arts objects. No previous art history background is necessary. Students interested in all aspects of visual and material culture, including fashion, design and architecture, are welcome.

French Art History

This course will enrich your knowledge of the arts in France from their origin to the present. Through this chronological approach to studying art history all the important movements are touched upon and placed in their political, economic, social and cultural contexts. In the fall course, you will study the history of France from the dawn of time to the French Revolution, from cave paintings (Lascaux) to the Rococo movement. In the spring course, you will study paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries with emphasis on the works housed in the Orsay Museum in Paris.

Italo Calvino: History, Art and Science in the Modern World

Author Italo Calvino (1923-1985) was born in Cuba to Italian parents, and grew up in Sanremo on the Via Francigena. He studied botany at Pavia University but secretly wrote fiction, and worked as a journalist, novelist, and resistance fighter in World War II. This course focuses on selections from Calvino’s writings in various genres including his stories that attempt to express scientific theories such as quantum physics in literary form. Other pieces recreate conversations between Marco Polo and Khubilai Khan.

ARH 407/507: Art of Ancient Rome

This class will examine the artistic and architectural monuments of Ancient Rome, including the rise of the Roman Republic, the age of Augustus and the Roman Empire, and the origins of Christianity within the late-antique period.  Students will learn about the social, cultural and artistic foundations of Roman culture, combining classroom sessions with visits to many of the city’s most important and impactful monuments (the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and the Colosseum, to name only a few).  This course will help students see the city around them in a new light, revealing the lasting

ARH 407/507: Painting in Rome 1500-1700

This course is a survey of High Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque painting, focusing on the examples that are visible in the churches and museums of Rome. Key figures will include Raphael, Michelangelo, Vasari, the Carracci, Caravaggio, Guercino, Guido Reni, Peitro da Cortona and Giovanni Battista Gaulli. Key themes include the development of the illusionistic frescoed ceiling, the projection of religious and political messages in the age of the counterreformation, classicism and its opposites, and the stylistic revolution of the baroque.

Rediscovery of Humanity: Renaissance in Central Italy

This course offers you a journey through the rich pageant of Renaissance art and culture, giving you the critical tools with which to analyze, understand and appreciate more fully the works of art produced in central Italy from the mid-thirteenth to mid-fifteenth centuries. We will look closely at the way in which changing styles in art reflected contemporary history and cultural attitudes.

British Art of the Last Hundred Years

Over the last 30 years, Britain has become a vibrant and fertile center for the visual arts. This course attempts to relate the recent confusing range of artistic styles and media, both in Britain and internationally, to the development of "modernism" at the beginning of the 20th century. Because of the speed of communication and travel, new ideas in art spread rapidly and it is therefore impossible to look at modern art in Britain without reference to the art developments in the wider Western world. Consequently, we will look at art in Europe and North America during this course.
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