Over the course of the twentieth century, moving images became the dominant cultural form in the West if not globally. As moving images morph once more on account of the nexus of the Internet, mobile technology, and “big data,” what will be the effect on visual art and vice versa? This course explores changes in visual art that coincide and intersect with the history of new media — specifically how combinations of images produce meaning in cinema, intermedia, and social media. Although material is largely historical, one of the primary goals of the course is for students to develop the skills and intellectual curiosity to be critical viewers of contemporary art and media.

*This course is cross-listed with MCS 023

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This course traces the history of the modern movement from Impressionism to the end of World War II. We will focus on the arts in their interrelationships to the political events and social conditions of the period, and the sometimes hostile reception to modernism.

What does mean to make art in an age of spectacle? How do we read media art in a totally mediated environment? This course serves as an introduction to experimental and intermedia art practices and critical concepts from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Though primarily examining American art from 1950s, 60s, and 70s with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary art forms and experimental film and video, we will look at their contem- porary counterparts as well. We will explore how these practices can function as critique and, in some cases, resist dominant culture and even art historical discourse.

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CRN#: 70005
Meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays 1:10PM – 4:00PM
Place: ARTS 335

This class introduces students to the history and methodologies of art history. As such, it examines the historical foundations of the discipline through readings of its formative texts from Vasari to the present, covering models and approaches of different periods. Students will become familiar with some of the key methodologies within the discipline and be able to develop an awareness of their own practice as art historians.

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