Art History - Graduate Courses

College of the Arts


Art History Courses (AH)

GRADUATE LEVEL

501./401. American Art to 1900 (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B or consent of instructor.
Survey of American art from the time of European settlement to roughly 1900 with special focus on cultural, political, and historical contexts. Combines slide lecture with discussion of primary and secondary readings.
Letter grade only (A-F).

502. The Rise of Landscape Painting (3)
Prerequisite(s); AH 111A, 111B or consent of instructor.
Examination of emergence and transformation of landscape painting in Europe and America between 1750 and 1850 with special focus on cultural, political, and historical contexts. Combines slide lecture with discussion of primary and secondary readings.
Letter grade only (A-F).

508./408. Early Christian and Byzantine Art (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Architecture, mosaics and sculpture of Rome, Ravenna and Constantinople from the decline of the Roman Empire to the end of the Byzantine era.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 408 or 598B. Letter grade only (A-F).

509./409. Romanesque Art (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A,111C, or consent of instructor.
Arts of Northern Europe from Merovingian through the Romanesque periods.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 409 or 598C. Letter grade only (A-F).

510./410. Gothic Art (3)
Architecture, sculpture, and painting in western Europe from the 12th through the 14th centuries, with special attention to the construction and decoration of the great cathedrals, and to the development of new approaches to style and content in the figural art of the 14th-century Italy.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 410 or 598D. Letter grade only (A-F).

511./411. History and Criticism of Photography (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
History of photography from its origins to contemporary developments in the twentieth century. Critical and philosophical approaches to the photographic medium.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 411 or 511. Letter grade only (A-F).

516./416. Greek Art (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Survey of Greek Art from beginnings in Aegean period through late Hellenistic period. Key monuments of architecture, sculpture, painting, vase-painting, and so-called minor arts discussed relative to contemporary theories, criticism, and history. Focus on techniques and materials of various arts.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 416 or 598E. Letter grade only (A-F).

517./417. Roman Art (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Survey of Italian arts before the Romans, including indigenous art of the Italic peoples and the Etruscans, and Roman Art from early Republic to Age of Constantine. Discussion of major art forms of architecture, painting, sculpture and so-called minor arts.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 417 or 598L. Letter grade only (A-F).

523./423. Early Renaissance Art in Italy (3)
Examination of stylistic and technical developments of fifteenth-century Italian painting, sculpture, and architecture, as well as interaction of cultural, social, and religious developments with visual arts. Special attention to the revival of classicism, and influence of private patrons.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 423 or 598F. Letter grade only (A-F). Course fee may be required.

524./424. High Renaissance Art in Italy (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Examination of sixteenth-century Italian painting, sculpture, and architecture, emphasizing that of Florence, Venice, and Rome. Historical, cultural, religious, and theoretical framework. Special attention to works by a handful of major artists (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, and the Mannerists).
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 424 or 598G. Letter grade only (A-F).

525./425. Northern Renaissance Painting (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Examination of artistic developments in Northern Europe, particularly Flanders, France, and Germany, from the 14th century through 16th century. Historical, cultural, and religious and theoretical framework. Special attention to iconography, and the changing role of the artist in society.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 425 or 598H. Letter grade only (A-F).

526./426. Baroque Art in Spain, the Netherlands, and England (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Examines the closely intertwined political and artistic situations in the Netherlands (Flanders and Holland), England and Spain during the 17th and early 18th centuries. Emphasis on the relationship between Rubens and Velasquez, and the contrast between Rubens and Rembrandt; also Flemish influence in England, due especially to Anthony van Dyck.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 426 or 598J. Letter grade only (A-F).

527./427. Baroque Art in Italy, France, and Germany (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Explores the birth of the Baroque in Rome, and the role of the Counter-Reformation in shaping artistic genres in Italy and France in the early 17th century. Also covers the influence of the Versailles court of the “Sun King,” Louis XIV, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, especially in the independent Teutonic states.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 427 or 598K. Letter grade only (A-F).

530./430. Museum Practices (3)
Prerequisites: AH 431 or by consent of student advisor and instructor.
Comprehensive introduction to the administrative, strategic and financial aspects of exhibiting art and maintaining art collections in museums. Designed for students seeking Museum Studies Certificate and those pursuing MA with an emphasis in Museum Studies.
Letter grade only (A-F). Not open for credit to students with credit in AH 435B/535B.

531./431. History of Museum and Exhibitions (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B or by consent of student advisor and instructor.
Open to students interested in history of art museums and role museums play in manifesting cultural values, and in impact exhibitions of art have had on development of arts and controversies they have stirred.
Class is required of students seeking Museum Studies Certificate and those pursuing MA with emphasis in Museum Studies. Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 435; AH 435, 435A, or 535A. Letter grade only (A-F).

536./436. Neo-Classicism to Romanticism, 1789-1850 (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Examination of Neo-Classicism, Realism, Romanticism, photography and the academic tradition in art and culture of Europe from 1789-1850.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 436 or 598M. Letter grade only (A-F).

537./437. Impressionism to Post-Impressionism, 1850-1900 (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Analysis of the development of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in France from 1850 to 1900.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 437 or 598N. Letter grade only (A-F).

538./438. Twentieth Century Art to 1945 (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Examination of Abstraction, Non-Objective art, Expressionism, Dada, and Surrealism.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 438 or 598P. Letter grade only (A-F).

539./439. Twentieth Century Art from1945 (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Examination of Pop Art, Happenings, Minimal Art, Art and Technology, Environmental, Concept, Performance and Video Art.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 439 or 598Q. Letter grade only (A-F).

541./441. Contemporary Art in Context (3)
Prerequisites: Graduate Student in Art History or consent of instructor.
International survey focusing on developments in art from late twentieth century to present. Examination of precedents, traditions, legacies behind current art. Consideration of critical/theoretical issues and factors influencing production and reception of current art.
Letter grade only (A-F)

542. Internship in Museum Studies (3)
Prerequisites: AH 431 or consent of instructor.
Supervised internship in selected museums, college and community art centers appropriate to student’s particular academic interest. Opportunity to work with museum professionals in the field to expand student understanding of the complexities, discipline and challenges in the profession.
May be repeated to a maximum of 3 units in the same semester and 9 units in different semesters. (6 hrs. lab.) Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 542. Letter grade only (A-F).

555./455. Traditional Art of Africa: A Thematic Approach (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Exploration from a Western perspective of the conceptual, expressive, and aesthetic aspects of traditional African art as related to its cultural context and to Western concepts of art. Focus on West Africa.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 455 or 598R. Letter grade only (A-F).

556./456. American Indian Art: Western Perspectives (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Exploration from a Western perspective of the historically various and changing frames of reference surrounding perception, interpretation, and consideration of Native American art through focus on selected traditions.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 456 or 598S. Letter grade only (A-F).

557./457. Pre-Columbian Art (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B or consent of instructor.
Survey of art and architecture in Mesoamerica and Andean region of South America from 1000BC to Spanish conquest. Special attention to social, political and economic contexts, as well as research methods and theoretical assumptions of scholars investigating this field.
Letter grade only (A-F).

558./458. Modern Latin American Art (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111B or consent of instructor.
An investigation of developments in visual culture in Latin America from the late-18th century to the mid-20th century, with special emphasis on artists in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Letter grade only (A-F).

559./459. Contemporary Latin American Art (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111B or consent of instructor.
An investigation of developments in visual culture in Latin America from the mid-20th century to the present, with special emphasis on artists in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela, as well as Latino/Latina artists.
Letter grade only (A-F).

565./465. Ancient Art of the Near East (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Prehistoric, Near Eastern, Egyptian and Aegean art.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 465 or 598U. Letter grade only (A-F).

566./466. Buddhist Art of India and S.E. Asia (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
The formation and development of Buddhist art in India and its subsequent metamorphoses in Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia will be examined.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 466 or 598V. Letter grade only (A-F).

567./467. Hindu and Islamic Art of India (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
The formation and development of Hindu art in India and the genesis, as well as transformation, of Islamic art of India compared to pan-Islamic characteristics will be examined.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 467 or 598W. Letter grade only (A-F).

568./468. Early Chinese Art (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
The formation and development of Chinese art from the third millennium to the 10th century A.D.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 468 or 598X. Letter grade only (A-F).

569./469. Later Chinese Art (3)
Prerequisites: AH 111A, 111B, or consent of instructor.
Development of Chinese art from the 11th century A.D. through the dulmination of the tradition and its transformation in the 2oth century will be explored.
Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 469 or 598Y. Letter grade only (A-F).

570A./470A. Japanese Buddhist Art to 1500 (3)
Prerequisite: One of the following: AH 113A, 113B, 111A, 111B, 111C, A/ST 393, 451, or consent of instructor.
Survey of sacred architecture, sculpture, painting, gardens and decorative art from neolithic culture through Zen Buddhism, reading images in regard to religious, political and social values.
Not open for credit to students with credit in AH 470. Letter grade only (A-F).

570B./470B. Japanese Art 1500-1868 (3)
Prerequisite: AH 113A, 113B, 111A, 111B, 111C, A/ST 393, 451, or consent of the instructor.
Analysis of secular painting, architecture, ceramics and garden design in the Momoyama and Edo periods, linking the wide variety of subjects and styles to the competing values of samurai, priest, aristocrat or merchant class patrons.
Not open for credit to students with credit in AH 470. Letter grade only (A-F).

571A./471A. Modern Japanese Graphic Art (3)
Prerequisite: One of the following: AH 113A, 113B, 111A, 111B, 111C, A/ST 393, 451, or consent of the instructor.
Examination of painting, prints, photography and graphic design in regard to the issues of individual and national identity in an era when being modern was often linked to being Western. We also consider manga in regard to earlier modern adaptations of traditional design.
Not open for credit to students with credit in AH 471. Letter grade only (A-F).

571B./471B. Modern Japanese Plastic Art (3)
Prerequisite: One of the following: AH 113A, 113B, 111A, 111B, 111C, A/ST 393, 451, or consent of the instructor.
Investigation of architecture, gardens, sculpture and ceramics in light of debates over internationalism or nationalism, modernity or tradition. The political and economic implications of design choices will be highlighted.
Not open for credit to students with credit in AH 471. Letter grade only (A-F).

571C./471C. Modern Japanese Architecture (3)
Prerequisites: Art History Graduate Student
Analysis of “Japaneseness” and “foreign-ness” in Japan between 1868 and 1970. Examination of Japanese creations of and reactions to “modernity” in regard to national identity as expressed in architecture and gardens. Related consideration of urbanism and nationalism.
Letter grade only (A-F).

595. Independent Study In Art History (1-6)
Independent research conducted under supervision of faculty member. Student and instructor must have on file in Art Department office signed written agreement, established at beginning of course, outlining description of work, specific tasks required, nature of final report, and basis for determining final grade.
Letter grade only (A-F).

596. Special Problems in Art History (3)
Graduate level variable directed study projects providing a way for students to independently pursue special research topics in art history under instructor supervision.
May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units. Letter grade only (A-F).

597./497. Seminar in Art History (3)
Prerequisite: AH 307 or consent of instructor.
Directed individual research and group discussion concerning a topic in art history.
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units in the same semester and 9 units in different semesters. Not open for credit to students with credit in ART 497 or 611 beyond combined maximum units. Letter grade only (A-F).

598. Special Topics in Art History (3)
Prerequisite: AH 307 or consent of instructor.
Topics from selected areas of Art History. Content may vary each semester.
Topics will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. Letter grade only (A-F).

599Q. Special Problems in Museum Studies (3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Advanced individual graduate projects, with faculty supervision, in museum studies.
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units in same semester and a total of 12 units in different semesters. (6 hrs. lab.) Letter grade only (A-F).

698. Thesis (1-6)
Prerequisite: Advancement to Candidacy and an approved Thesis Statement.
Execution and completion of an approved thesis.
Open only to Art history students. Required of all candidates for the MA in Art, specialization in Art History. Letter grade only (A-F).