FA59 Modern Art
Prof. Kalb MWTh 10:00-10:50 Office Mandel 208
Course Description: This course will examine western art from the 1840s to the 1940s. It will address the history of modernism from Courbet and the Realists in the mid-19th century through movements of impressionism, post-impressionism, symbolism, at the turn of the century to cubism, expressionism, and the birth of abstraction in the new 20th century. We will end looking at art that confronted the crises of WWII. Artists’ work, lives, and contexts will be discussed, as will the meanings and consequences of modernism itself. Approaches taken toward the material will range from formalist to feminist with particular attention to the relationship between art and society.
Textbooks:
· Arnason, History of Modern Art (New York: Pearson) any edition since the 5th.
· Chipp Theories of Modern Art (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1984).
· Occasional readings on LATTE.
Assignments :
Two Text and Image Papers: 4 pages
· For each paper chose an artwork 1) by an artist active between 1860-1960 discussed in class or in Arnason and 2) accessible to you in person – consider the Rose, MFA, ICA, Davis or other museums in the region or near your homes.
· Write 2-3 pages of formal analysis beginning with a general overview of the appearance of the work and then discussing in detail its composition, color, physical properties, media, relationship to its environment and audience, treatment of figural and/or abstract motifs, size, scale (not all of these pertain to every work). Include no history, biography, or discussion of content.
· For the remainder of the paper select one or more passages from the primary source readings in Chipp and reflect on any connections you see between the formal qualities of the work of art you observed and the writing. These connections may be direct; you might be looking at a Cezanne and reading Cezanne, or they may be quite indirect. You can use a text written by or about one artist to think about work by another. A surrealist text by Dali, for instance, might be useful for thinking about Masson or Miro or even abstract expressionism. Just be sure to included clear details from the artworks, specific passages from the readings, and your own argument about how they relate. These papers are designed to use the books required for class. If you do wish to find additional sources to get more primary sources, that is great, just check with me to make sure they are comparable to those assigned.
· Provide evidence you saw the work in person – this can be description of details not in reproductions – or a ticket stub, brochure, ...
· Papers Due 10.18 and 12.05
Quizzes
· There will be 2 short quizzes, one each at the end of the first and third sections of the course. For each quiz you will be shown works of art by artists from the previous section only. You will be asked to identify the works by artist, movement, and date (within 5 years), and then provide a brief summary of its significance noting issues of form (the physical qualities of the work), content (what the work is about), and context (historical, political, intellectual, biographical… as relevant). The quizzes will include only artists we have discussed but will have images that are new to you (more or less). These unknowns will look very much like works we have discussed. These quizzes are intended to help you keep on top of the general content of the course to lighten the amount of memorization you will need to do for the mid-term and final. Your grades on the quizzes will only be counted toward your final grade if they help you.
· Quizzes are on 9.21, 11.21
Mid-Term and Final Exam relevant
· The Midterm and Final will be divided into two parts. The first will consist of slide IDs for which you will need to identify a given image by artist, movement, and date (within 5 years), and then provide a brief summary of its significance noting issues of form, content, and context. The IDs will include only artists we have discussed but will have images that are new to you (more or less). These unknowns will be stylistically nearly identical to examples we have discussed in class and will prioritize works not covered in the quizzes. The second section of the midterm and final will consist of short essay questions addressing themes, artwork, and readings from the course. The second sections will be cumulative, the ID sections will not. The exams are timed. If you have concerns about your ability to take tests in this format let me know early in the semester and we can discuss the options. Mid-Term will take place 10.20. The final is a take home due on LATTE 12.19 at 12:15pm.
Grade Breakdown
Art & Text Papers (2 x 15%) 30%
Quizzes (2 x 5%) 10%
Midterm 25%
Final 30%
Participation 05%
General Class Policies: Attendance: Absences in excess of three class periods will be considered grounds for a 5% reduction of final grade. Alternative Test Needs: The exams are timed tests, should you require alternative test format for any reason talk to me at the beginning of the semester so we can find a test to meet your needs. Cell Phones: Please turn the ringers of your cell phones off. Laptops: Laptop use is fine, online shopping, facebook, instagram … not so much. Non-course-related computer use will be considered grounds for 5% reduction of final grade. Late assignments: Paper grades will be reduced 1/3 grade per day late. Academic Honesty: Unless stated otherwise, you are encouraged to share ideas and information as you write and study. You must, of course, complete your own quizzes, write your own essays, and I expect no two papers to be identical in part or whole. When using the writings and thoughts of others cite your sources in footnotes. Start any research you do with One Search, Art and Architecture Databases on the Brandeis Scholar, and WorldCat (on LTS find Databases page). Internet sources need to be footnoted with full notation of the name of the essay found and the website on which you found it. If I can’t get to it, it doesn’t count. Cite journal articles downloaded from Jstor as hard copy not webpages. Honor Code To establish in a formal manner that your work has been completed in accordance with all codes of academic honesty please write and sign, “I have neither given nor received un-authorized aid on this exam/essay” at the end of all tests and papers.
FA 59 Schedule of Lectures, Readings, and Assignments (changes will be announced and revised on LATTE)
Class / Topic / Chipp / Arnason 6th / Arnason 7th / AssignmentsModernism and Late 19th Century Art
/ /1. 8.25 / Intro On Beginnings / 1-28 / 1-13
2. 8.29 / Courbet / 20-22
3. 8.31 / Manet / 28-40 / 24-37
4. 9.01 / Manet and Impressionism
9.05 / No class
5. 9.07 / Impressionism
6. 9.08 / Post-Impressionism &
7. 9.12 / Cezanne / 16-23 / 55-60 / 45-50
8. 9.14 / Seurat / 51-54 / 42-45
9. 9.15 / Van Gogh / 29-47, 69-77 / 69-75 / 62-64
10. 9.19 / Gauguin / 59-62
Emotion and Analysis in the Advent of World War One
11. 9.21 / Symbolism / 87-94, 114-115 / 49,60-62,94-98,104-106, 64-69 / 50-58, 64-67, 84-87 / Quiz 1
12. 9.22 / Fauvism and Matisse / 130-145 / 110-128 / 90-100,103-106
13. 9.26 / Expressionism in Germany / 146-55, 174-182 / 133-153 / 111-131
14. 9.28 / Expressionism in Vienna / 170-174 / 154-157 / 76-79, 132-135
15. 9.29 / Intro to Cubism / 199-204, 209, 214, 221-235, 259-274 / 158-170 / 136-152
10.03 / No class
16. 10.05 / Analytic Cubism / 248-259 / 170-192
17. 10.06 / Cubist Collage and After / 235-246 / 152-168
18. 10.10 / Fantasy and Futurism / 284-308 / 206-218 / 186-199
10.12 / No class
19. 10.13 / Non-Objective art in Europe: Mondrian & DeStijl / 277-280, 321-323, 349-365 / 128-132, 285-296, 403-405 / 106-110, 262-274
10.17 / No class
20. 10.19 / Non-Objective art in Russia: Suprematism & Constructivism / 337-46. / 221-234 / 199-212, / 10.18
1st Paper Due
21. 10.20 / Mid-Term Exam
10.24 / No class
Art Between the Wars
22. 10.25 / Intro to Dada / 376-389, 392-96. / 235-254 / 213-233
23. 10.26 / Dada II
24. 10.27 / Class cancelled. Session to be made up with alternative activity.
25. 11.02 / Class cancelled. Session to be made up with alternative activity.
26. 11.03 / Class cancelled. Session to be made up with alternative activity.
27. 11.07 / Surrealism part one / 402-417, / 318-359 / 297-332
28. 11.09 / Surrealism part two / 417-427, 437
29. 11.10 / Reaching for New Order: France / 187-92,474-83 / 255-284 / 233-261
30. 11.14 / New Orders II: Bauhaus / 275-296
31. 11.16 / Modernist Realities in the US I / 526-532 / 360-379 / 338-354, 368-370
32. 11.17 / Modernist Realities in the US II / 461-462, 487-90. / 387-393
33. 11.21 / Modernity Rural and Urban / 466-73, 489-90, 521-524 / 378-386, 394-395 / 354-361, 364-367 / Quiz 2
11.23 / No class
11.24 / No class
Modernist Tested – Art and the Second World War
34. 11.28 / Art and WWII: The New American Painting / 536-553, 555-70 / 403-438 / 377-403
35. 11.30 / New American Painting II / 576-581
36. 12.01 / Art and WWII European Responses / 598-617, 620-622. / 439-471 / 257-258, 411-422
37. 12.05 / European Responses II / 12.05
2nd Paper Due
38. 12.07 / Art and WWII Japanese Responses / See LATTE
39. / Final Exam due Monday, Dec 19 12:15 PM