Cornelius, Arts in Prewar Paris, Intersession 2018 | Page 1
A Moment of Creative Explosion: Arts in Prewar ParisAS.376.163.13| Intersession 2018 /
DESCRIPTION / In the years just before World War I, Paris attracted creative talents from across Europe. This explosively fertile cultural moment witnessed an extraordinary collection of artists collaborating on projects, exchanging ideas, and exploring new ways of perceiving the world. This course will immerse you in vibrant Belle Époque Paris through works of music, visual art, dance, theater, and literature. 1 credit.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES / By the end of this course, students will:
- Appreciate the innovative artistic movements that took place in Paris during the 1910s
- Recognize the relationships and influences among various artistic styles
- Gain vocabulary for talking about works of art and music
- Begin to describe and analyze an artwork’s content objectively
INSTRUCTOR / Nathan Cornelius
COURSE MEETINGS / TTh,10:00 am – 12:30 pm
GRADING / Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (pass/fail). Participation in class discussions and reflection assignments will result in a Satisfactory grade. An Unsatisfactory grade will be assigned in cases of:
- Failing to complete any of thereflection assignments
- Being absent from more than one class meeting without excuse
- Violating the Student Conduct Code (see Academic Integrity, below)
GUIDELINES / Class Participation:
While no prior knowledge of art, music, literature, or ballet is required to take—and enjoy!—this class, you will be expected to contribute to class discussions using the concepts mentioned in class. You may be asked to read short texts or listen to musical works before class; please come prepared to offer your thoughts on them.
Readings:
There is no textbook for this class. Reading selections are posted on Blackboard.
Listening:
Spotify playlists of musical examples are posted on Blackboard. DVD recordings of ballet productions are on reserve in the library.
Reflection Assignments:
Ultimately, this class is about experiencing art firsthand. Each week, you will view or listen to a work of visual art of music outside of class and write a short (2-3 pages) written reflection on it. Specific instructions will be distributed in class. Reflections are to be submitted via Blackboard.
Reflection #1 (Due Sunday 1/14 by 11:59pm)
Choose either:
a)Attend one of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra programs, “Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists” (Thursday 1/11 at 8:00pm) or “Off the Cuff: Impressionist Masterworks” (Saturday 1/13 at 7:00pm). The BSO performs at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral Street, 5 blocks from the Penn Station shuttle stop. Tickets are required; discounts are available for Hopkins students. bsomusic.org
b)Visit paintings by Henri Matisse in the Cone Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The BMA is located at 10 Art Museum Drive, just south of the Homewood campus, and is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is free. artbma.org
Reflection #2 (Due Sunday 1/21 by 11:59pm)
Watch the excerpt fromPetrushka by Igor Stravinsky from the DVD production Return of the Firebird, on reserve in the library.
Reflection #3
Part 1: (Due Sunday 1/21 by 11:59pm)
Visit the Cone Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Choose a painter from the list (to be distributed in class), find a painting by that artist, and email me your choice. The BMA is located at 10 Art Museum Drive, just south of the Homewood campus, and is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is free. artbma.org
Part 2: (Due Thursday 1/25 by 10:00am)
Submit your reflection on your selected painter and painting by class time. Be prepared to share some of your ideas with the class that day.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY / Please familiarize yourself with the Student Conduct Code, found at:
DIVERSITY & DISABILITY STATEMENT / If you have a disability (e.g. attention, health, hearing, learning, mobility, physical, psychiatric, or vision) that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. Students with a disability must register with the Student Disability Services for disability verification and for determination of reasonable academic accommodations. You are responsible for initiating arrangements for accommodations for tests and other assignments in collaboration with the SDS and the faculty. Student Disability Services can be reached at 410-516-4720 in room 385 Garland Hall. They also have a website at: web.jhu.edu/disabilities
(class schedule begins on the next page)
CLASS SCHEDULE
MEETING / TOPIC01 / Tuesday 1/9 / Paris and the Ballets Russes
Impressionism
02 / Thursday 1/11 / Expressionism
Reading: Apollinaire, “On Painting”
Reflection #1 due Sunday 1/14 by midnight
03 / Tuesday 1/16 / From Romanticism to Modernism
Reading: Apollinaire, “Picasso”
04 / Thursday 1/18 / Cubism and the Deconstruction of Form
Reading: Cocteau, “Ode to Picasso”
Reading: Stein, “Picasso” and “If I Told Him, A Completed Portrait of Picasso”
Reflection #2 due Sunday 1/21 by midnight
Choice of artist for Reflection #3 due Sunday 1/21
05 / Tuesday 1/23 / Cubism and the Reconstruction of Form
Viewing: Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring
06 / Thursday 1/25 /