Professor Amy B. Werbel

Home phone:  660-4918

e-mail:  awerbel (I check this far more often than phone messages)

Syllabus

Art 252 A.  Survey of the History of Art II:  Renaissance to Modern (Honors)

Spring, 2009

Mon, Wed 1-2:40

SE 104

Students in Art 252 learn to see, think, write and speak critically about painting, sculpture, architecture, and empowered objects from the fifteenth through twentieth centuries in Europe, America and West Africa.  In this honors section, students will present more specialized readings to the class, in addition to completing all elements of the non-honors section.

Required text for this course is Art History vol. II, revised second edition, by Marilyn Stokstad.  Paper writers also should buy Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing about Art.  Other readings are available in “doc sharing” on E-College.

Jan. 12             Introduction:  Art and History

Jan. 14             Early Renaissance Painting in Northern Europe

Reading:  Stokstad, 576-586, 589-598

Assignment:  Response Paper: How did Giotto and van Eyck try to enhance spirituality in the viewers of their paintings?  Also, let me know today whether you will take the exams or write the papers.

Jan. 19             Early Renaissance Painting and Sculpture in Southern Europe

                        Reading:  Stokstad, 610-11, 622-627, 628-643

Assignment:  Response Paper: Why was classicism so popular in Italy in the early renaissance?  As part of your answer, discuss one work of art that expresses the major elements of classicism. 

Jan. 21             High Renaissance Painting and Sculpture in Italy

Reading:  Stokstad, 644-662, 666-672, 685-689, 695-700 

Assignment: Response Paper:  How did patrons influence the work of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael?   (Chris)

Jan. 26             Renaissance Art in Germany, the Netherlands, and England

Reading: Stokstad 671-683, 707-715

Assignment:  Discuss the influence of political and religious conditions on art in these three areas. (Jasiu)

Jan. 28             Baroque Painting and Sculpture in the South

Reading:  Stokstad, 719-722, 728-738, 747-755

Assignment: Response Paper:  Why do you think Baroque art spread so rapidly through Europe?  As part of your answer, discuss one specific example of art by Caravaggio and why you think it was appreciated and copied by others at the time. (Becca)

Feb. 2              Baroque Painting in the North / Exam Preparation

Reading:  Stokstad, 763-779

Assignment:  Response Paper:  Discuss elements of Northern European culture that you see reflected in Baroque art of this area.   (Tyler and Alaina)

Feb. 4              No class

Feb. 9              Exam #1 (Paper Writers – No class)

Feb. 11            Neoclassicism and Romanticism 

Reading:  Stokstad, 896-899, 922-926, 929-934, 942-955

Assignment:  Response Paper:  Which style do you prefer, Neoclassicism or Romanticism, and why? (Nellie and Matt)

Feb. 16            No Class

Feb. 18            Sister Wendy Film Festival

Feb.  23           Realism and Photography

Reading:  Stokstad, 964-967, 973-975, 1005-1013

Assignment:  Response Paper:  Discuss the ways that art of the Realist era reflects change in society at this time. (Samantha)

Feb. 25            Impressionism / Mary Cassatt

Reading:  Stokstad, 979-993; Griselda Pollock, “Mary Cassatt:  Painter of Women and Children,” 280-301 (ECollege)

Assignment:  Response Paper:  Why do you think May Cassatt painted women and children?  What effect did this have on her career and place within history? (Chris and Alaina)

Mar. 2             Post-Impressionism and Symbolism

Reading:  Stokstad, 993-1001; Richard Schiff, “Cezanne and the End of Impressionism” (on E-College)

Assignment:  Response Paper: Discuss some of the new ideas that motivated “post-impressionist” and symbolist artists. (Alexandra)

Mar. 4             Early Modernism in Europe and America

Reading:  Stokstad, 1019-1042, 1060-1066; William Canfield, “Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain” (E-College)

Assignment: Response Paper: What were the goals of early modern artists? (Matt)

Mar. 9             Exam #2/ Paper Writers meet at 2:10 p.m. (research methods)

Assignment: Paper writers bring in ideas for research paper topics

Mar. 11           African Art

Reading:  Stokstad, 875-892.  Babatunde Lawal, “African Art and the Social Order” (on ECollege)

Assignment:  Response Paper:  How do the purposes of art in traditional African societies compare with the purposes of art in Europe and America? (Alexandra)

March 16 and 18 – no classes

Mar. 22           Advising on Paper Topics – 7-9 p.m. Library Reference Area

Mar. 23           Advising on Paper Topics – 8:30-11:30 a.m. Library Reference Area

Mar. 23           African Art in the Diaspora

Reading:  Suzanne Preston-Blier, “Vodun Art, Social History and the Slave Trade,” 23-54 (on ECollege)

Assignment: Response Paper:  What purposes did bocio and vodun serve for Africans stolen from their homelands and forced into slavery? (Nellie)

Mar. 24           Advising on Paper Topics – 8:30-9:30 a.m. Library Reference Area

Mar. 25           The Harlem Renaissance

Reading:  Stokstad, 1072-1074; Romare Bearden and Harry Henderson, “The Twenties and the Black Renaissance, 114-135, W.E.B. DuBois, “The Souls of Black Folk,” 1-12, (all on E-College)

Assignment: Response Paper: What role did Harlem Renaissance artists and intellectuals see for African influences in accomplishing their goals?  Do you think art is powerful enough to raise people up? Paper writers submit topic and bibliography for your final research papers. (Becca)

March 30        Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art

Reading:  Stokstad, 1083-1105; Stephen Polcari, Abstract Expressionism and the Modern Experience, and Roland Barthes, “That Old Thing, Art,” 21-31 (on ECollege) (on E-College)

Assignment:  Response Paper: How did “ab ex” artists reflect American culture in the mid-20^th Century? 

Response Paper:  What was new in pop art that had not been done before in art?  Do you think that pop artists were celebrating mass culture, or criticizing it? (you can do two response papers for today if you need the points . . . )  (Jasiu and Tyler)

Apr. 1             No class

Apr. 6             No class

Apr. 8             Post-Modernism:  Earth, Race, and Gender: 

Reading:  Stokstad, 1121-52

Assignment:  Response Paper:  Discuss two artists who you find especially impressive, or horrible.  Be clear about why you hold these opinions. (Samantha)

Apr. 14           Easter Break

Apr. 15           Art: 21

Assignment:  Paper writers: write a critique of the artists we saw in class today and hand it in on 4/21

Apr. 20           Art: 21

Assignment:  Paper writers: write a critique of the artists we saw in class today and hand it in on Tuesday 4/23

Apr. 22           Exam #3 / Paper writers meet at 2:10 (bring in your thesis

statement and presentation outline for workshop)

Apr. 26            Advising on Presentations – 7-10 p.m. Library Reference Area

Apr. 27           Research Presentations

Apr. 27            Advising on Presentations – 7-10 p.m. Library Reference Area

Apr. 29            Advising on Presentations – 8:00-9:45 a.m. Library Reference Area

Apr. 29           Tour of Art on Campus

Reading:  website: http://academics.smcvt.edu/collegeartcollection

Assignment:  Response Paper:  Discuss two works of art on campus that you find especially impressive, or horrible.  Be clear about why you hold these opinions, and make sure to refer to information about the artists, etc. from the website.

May 4             Final Exam 1-3:30 SE 104

Research Papers are due by 1 p.m. in the correct dropbox on E-College

Grading Percentages:

Exam Takers:                                                            Paper Writers and Presenters:

Exam I:  20 pts.                                             Response Papers, up to 5 pts. each,

Exam II: 20 pts.                                             (max. 60 pts.)

Exam III: 15 pts.                                            Research Paper (10 pp.): 20 pts.

Comprehensive Final Exam: 35 pts.         Research Presentation: 10 pts.

2 “Slam” Presentations: 10 pts.                  2 “Slam” Presentations:  10 pts     

Attendance and Class Participation:

You are permitted two unexcused absences from class.  Further absences will be penalized by a two-point reduction in your final course grade per extra absence.  If you know you need to be absent, please call or e-mail me in advance, so that we can confer about missed work. 

Response Papers

Response papers should demonstrate that you have completed all the assigned reading for the day, and should include an answer to the question I have asked you to think about.  You should use examples from the reading to provide “evidence” or demonstration for your answer.  These are due in class on the day of the assigned reading.  Late response papers will not be accepted.  These papers should be approximately 2 pages, double-spaced.  They are graded with a score of 5 (perfect comprehension of reading and critical thinking about question exhibited), 4 (almost perfect), 3 (some good work demonstrated), 2 (not much effort shown) and 1 or 0 (no demonstration of effort to do the reading and answer the question). 

“Slam” and Research Paper Presentations

Slam Papers – (twice for each student) -- present a five-minute summary of an article or book chapter relevant to the class material for the day, selected by the student in consultation with the Professor.  Students should bring hand-outs, flash drives, CDs, or url addresses (please do not log into your e-mail!).  See final page of syllabus for some ideas of books with great essays / chapters

Research paper writers also will present a ten-to-fifteen minute overview of their final papers, using PowerPoint programs which they bring in on a flash drive or CD.  If students do not already know PowerPoint, or need help with scanning images, they should contact a reference librarian.  A rubric listing grading criteria for presentations is included in the back of this syllabus.

Exams

Each exam requires that test-takers memorize approximately 40-50 “important” works of art (listed on attached pages), which are shown singly in five-minute intervals, and in ten-minute comparisons.  Students should make study cards of important works each week, which have an image of the work on one side, and title, artist, date, style and important characteristics on the other side.  If you make these in advance, you can quite efficiently take notes on them in class.  Also make study cards for each particular style (i.e. Baroque in the North, Early Renaissance in Italy), etc.  The final exam covers works chosen from the three important works lists, “unknown works” for which you are asked to identify the style and approximate date based on general principles, and short essays on general themes.  Exam Takers may wish to check out the “Art History Interactive” disc included in your textbook.

Final Research Paper and Presentation

The final research paper is an opportunity for students to exercise critical thinking in the analysis and interpretation of works of art.  Students are expected to formulate an original thesis, and to support it well with trustworthy sources.  A minimum of eight published academic sources should be used in preparing these papers.  Internet websites are not permissible as sources.  Websites can, however, be useful in locating inspiration and images for your presentations, and online full-text versions of printed sources.  Citations on long papers should be in the form of endnotes and bibliography in MLA style.  In-text citations are not used in art history papers.  Students who plagiarize by presenting information written by others as their own will be prosecuted without mercy through the academic review board (I have no sympathy for this whatsoever).

Titles of art works discussed in your paper should always be italicized and identified as [fig. 1, 2, 3, etc.].  For example:  “Thomas Eakins’ Spinning Wheel Studies [fig. 1] is an excellent example of the artist’s use of preparatory perspective studies.”  Xeroxed illustrations of each work should be included behind the endnotes and bibliography with corresponding identification by figure number.  These illustrations should also include artist, title, medium, date and location of the work, i.e.:

                                    [zerox of Spinning Wheel Studies ]

Fig. 3                          Thomas Eakins, Spinning Wheel Studies, charcoal on paper, 1883,

                        Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Extra Credit Opportunity

Write a review of an art exhibition you see here in the Burlington area or on your travels during breaks.  Possible 2 points for a 2-page, double-spaced review  

Fleming Museum, UVM website: http://www.uvm.edu/~fleming/index.php?category=exhibitions&page=exhibitions

Burlington City Arts Firehouse Gallery website (on Church Street):  http://www.burlingtoncityarts.com/firehousegallery/

Art 252 – Spring, 2009 - Important Works List - Exam #1

Early Renaissance Art in the North

Detail of page with Thamyris, from Bocaccio’s De Claris Mulieribus, 1402

Paul, Herman and Jean Limbourg, Page with February, from the

Tres Riches Heures, 1413-16

Robert Campin, The Mérode Altarpiece, c. 1425-28

Jan van Eyck, Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini (?) and his Wife, Giovanna

Cenami (?), 1434

Rogier van der Weyden, Deposition, c. 1442

Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of a Lady, c. 1460

Rogier van der Weyden, Last Judgment Altarpiece (open), after 1443

Early Renaissance Painting and Sculpture in Italy

Giotto di Bondone, Marriage at Cana, Raising of Lazarus, Resurrection and

Noli Me Tangere, and Lamentation, Padua, 1305-6

Anonymous, Ideal City with a Fountain and Statues of the Virtues, c. 1500

Lorenzo Ghiberti, “Jacob and Esau” panel, Gates of Paradise, 1425-1452

Donatello, David, c. 1446-1460(?)

Donatello, Equestrian Monument of Erasmo de Narni, 1443-53

Masaccio, Trinity with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist, and Donors,

c. 1425-27/8

Andrea Mantegna, Frescoes in the Camera Picta, 1465-74

Fra Angelico, Annunciation, c. 1438-1445

Andrea del Castagno, Last Supper, Resurrection, Crucifixion, and Entombment,   c. 1445-50

Sandro Boticelli, The Birth of Venus, c. 1484-86

Giovanni Bellini, St. Francis in Ecstasy, 1480

High Renaissance Painting and Sculpture in Italy

Leonardo, The Last Supper, 1495-98

Leonardo, Mona Lisa, c. 1503

Leonardo, Vitruvian Man, c. 1490

Michelangelo, Pietá, c. 1500

Michelangelo, David, 1501-4

Raphael, School of Athens, 1510-11

Raphael, Leo X with Cardinals, c. 1517

Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel Ceiling (interior, ceiling top to bottom, 1508-12, and Last Judgment, 1536-1541

Michelangelo, Rondanini Pieta, 1559-64

Titian, Venus of Urbino, c. 1538

Titian and Giorgione, The Pastoral Concert, c. 1508

Titian, Isabella d’Este, 1534-1536

Sofonisba Anguissola, Self-Portrait, c. 1552

High Renaissance Art in Germany, the Netherlands, and England

Tilman Riemenschneider, Altarpiece of the Holy Blood, c. 1499-1505

Matthias Grünewald, Isenheim Altarpiece, closed and open, c. 1510-15

Albrecht Dürer, Self-Portrait, 1500

Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1504

Albecht Altdorfer, Danube Landscape, c. 1525

Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights, c. 1505-1515

Pieter Breughel the Elde, Return of the Hunters, 1565

Hans Holbein the Younger, Henry VIII, 1540

Attributed to Levina Bening Teerling or William Scrots, Elizabeth I when Princess, c. 1559

Baroque Painting and Sculpture in the South

Gianlorenzo Bernini, David, 1623

Gianlorenzo Bernini, Saint Teresa of Ávila in Ecstasy, 1645-52

Pietro da Cortona, Glorification of the Papacy of Urban VIII, 1632-9

Caravaggio, Entombment, c. 1603-4

Caravaggio, Calling of St. Matthew, 1599-1600

Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, 1630

Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith and Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes, 1625

Diego Velasquez, Las Meninas, 1656

Francisco de Zurbarán, Saint Serapion, 1628

Baroque Painting in the North

Jan Breughel and Peter Paul Rubens, Allegory of Sight, c. 1617-18

Rembrandt, Three Crosses (fourth state), 1663

Frans Hals, Catherina Hooft and Her Nurse, c. 1620

Frans Hals, Officers of the Harlem Militia, c. 1627

Judith Leyster, Self-Portrait, 1635

Rembrandt, Captain Frans Banning Cocq Mustering His Company, 1642

Rembrandt, The Jewish Bride, c. 1665

Gerard Ter Borch, The Suitor’s Visit, c. 1658

Jan Vermeer, View of Delft, c. 1662

Jan Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, 1664

Rachel Ruysch, Flower Still Life, after 1700

Art 252 – Spring, 2009 - Important Works List - Exam #2

Early Modernism in Europe

Gustave Klimt, The Kiss, 1907-8

Henri Matisse, The Woman with the Hat, 1905

Henri Matisse, The Joy of Life, 1905-6

Karl Schmidt-Rotluff, Three Nudes, 1913

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Self-Portrait with an Amber Necklace, 1906

Vasily Kandinsky, Improvisation No. 30, 1913

Paul Klee, Hammamet with its Mosque, 1914

Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937

Pablo Picasso, Les Damoiselles D’Avignon, 1907

Pablo Picasso, Ma Jolie, 1911-1912

Pablo Picasso, Glass and Bottle of Suze, 1912

Sonia Delaunay-Terk, Clothes and Citröen B-12, 1925

Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913

Hugo Ball Reciting the Sound Poem “Karawane”, 1916

Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917

Art 252 – Spring, 2009 - Important Works List - Exam #3

African Art

Kojo Bonsu, Finial of a Spokesperson’s Staff, Ghana, 1960s-1970s

Nankani compound, Sirigu, Ghana, 1972

Akiode, Twin Figures (Ere Ibeji), Yoruba, 20^th Century

Two Masks in Performance, Bwa Culture, 1984

Sowei helmet headdress, Mende Culture (in Lawal reading)

Power Figure (nkisi nkonde), Kongo culture, 19^th century

Kente cloth, Ashanti culture, 20^th century

Togo, Ouatchi Sculptures (in Blier reading)

Harlem Renaissance

Aaron Douglas, Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery through Reconstruction, 1934

James VanDerZee, Couple Wearing Raccoon Coats with a Cadillac, 1932

Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art

Jackson Pollock, Male and Female, 1942

Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950

Willem de Kooning, Woman I, 1950-1952

Mark Rothko, No. 61, Brown, Blue, Brown on Blue, 1953

Robert Rauschenberg, Canyon, 1959

Jasper Johns, Target with Four Faces, 1955

Roy Lichtenstein, Oh Jeff. . .I Love You Too, But , 1964

Andy Warhol, Marilyn Diptych, 1962

Claes Oldenberg, Lipstick Ascending on Caterpillar Tracks, 1969-1974

Post-Modernism

Robert Smithson, Spiral Jetty, 1969-70

Betye Saar, The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, 1972

Faith Ringgold, Tar Beach, 1988

Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party, 1974-9

Ana Mendieta, Untitled Work from the Tree of Life Series

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Horn Players, 1983

Jeff Koons, The New Shelton Wet/Dry Triple Decker, 1981

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #21, 1978

Robert Mapplethorpe, Ajitto (Back, 1981
Richard Serra, Tilted Arc, 1981
Maya Lin, Vietnam War Memorial, 1981-3
Nam June Paik, Electronic Superhighway, 1995

Presentation Scoring Sheet

Use this set of criteria when planning your presentations.

Grade: 

Work on these elements:

FORMAL ESSAY GRADING CHECKLIST

Students:  Use this list to help you revise your papers before you hand them in.  Start at the top; fulfilling the assignment and developing critical thinking are the first and most important things you need to do to write a good essay.  Work your way down the list as the semester progresses.  A good idea is to have a partner read your essay and give you feedback, using this list.  Or take it to the Writing Center (Library 119, Su-Th, 4-11 pm).

Essay Component                          

CONTENT

__Assignment:  Is it addressed fully?

__Class concepts:  Are they understood and applied correctly?

__Other:

CRITICAL THINKING

__Thesis:  Is it explicit and arguable?

__Argument:  Is it logical?

__Evidence:  Is it sufficient, appropriate, credible?

__Analysis:  Does it show how evidence supports thesis?

__Counter-arguments:  Are they addressed, if necessary?

__Focus:  Does the essay stay on topic?

ESSAY STRUCTURE

__Paragraphs:  Are they organized in a deliberate and helpful way?

__Paragraphs:  Are they fully developed and appropriate in length?

__Transitions:  Do they help the reader move from thought to thought?

LANGUAGE CONTROL

__Style:  Is it controlled and easy to read?

__Style:  Is it appropriate to the assignment and a general academic audience?

__Language:  Are Standard Written English guidelines followed for:

                        __sentence structure/grammar

                        __word choice/usage

                        __punctuation/mechanics

                        __quotations/citations

                        __spelling

GRADE:

Art 252 – Spring, 2009 - Important Works List – FINAL EXAM

Early Renaissance Art in the North

Paul, Herman and Jean Limbourg, Page with February, from the

Tres Riches Heures, 1413-16

Robert Campin, The Mérode Altarpiece, c. 1425-28

Jan van Eyck, Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini (?) and his Wife, Giovanna

Cenami (?), 1434

Rogier van der Weyden, Deposition, c. 1442

Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of a Lady, c. 1460

Early Renaissance Painting and Sculpture in Italy

Donatello, David, c. 1446-1460(?)

Anonymous, Ideal City with a Fountain and Statues of the Virtues, c. 1500

Masaccio, Trinity with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist, and Donors,

c. 1425-27/8

Andrea del Castagno, Last Supper, Resurrection, Crucifixion, and Entombment,   c. 1445-50

Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, c. 1482

Giovanni Bellini, St. Francis in Ecstasy, 1480

High Renaissance Painting and Sculpture in Italy

Leonardo, The Last Supper, 1495-98

Michelangelo, David, 1501-4

Raphael, School of Athens, 1510-11

Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel Ceiling (interior, ceiling top to bottom, 1508-12, and            Last Judgment, 1536-1541

Leonardo, Vitruvian Man, c. 1490

Titian, Venus of Urbino, c. 1538

Titian and Giorgione, The Pastoral Concert, c. 1508

Sofonisba Anguissola, Self-Portrait, c. 1552

High Renaissance Art in Germany, the Netherlands, and England

Matthias Grünewald, Isenheim Altarpiece, closed and open, c. 1510-15

Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1504

Albecht Altdorfer, Danube Landscape, c. 1525

Hans Holbein the Younger, Henry VIII, 1540

Baroque Painting and Sculpture in the South

Gianlorenzo Bernini, David, 1623

Gianlorenzo Bernini, Saint Teresa of Ávila in Ecstasy, 1645-52

Caravaggio, Entombment, c. 1603-4

Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, 1630

Diego Velasquez, Las Meninas, 1656

Baroque Painting in the North

Frans Hals, Catherina Hooft and Her Nurse, c. 1620

Judith Leyster, Self-Portrait, 1635

Rembrandt, Captain Frans Banning Cocq Mustering His Company, 1642

Rembrandt, The Jewish Bride, c. 1665

Jan Vermeer, View of Delft, c. 1662

Jan Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, 1664

Early Modernism in Europe

Henri Matisse, The Joy of Life, 1905-6

Vasily Kandinsky, Improvisation No. 30, 1913

Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937

Pablo Picasso, Les Damoiselles D’Avignon, 1907

Pablo Picasso, Ma Jolie, 1911-1912

Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913

Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917

African Art

Kojo Bonsu, Finial of a Spokesperson’s Staff, Ghana, 1960s-1970s

Akiode, Twin Figures (Ere Ibeji), Yoruba, 20^th Century

Two Masks in Performance, Bwa Culture, 1984

Power Figure (nkisi nkonde), Kongo culture, 19^th century

Harlem Renaissance

Aaron Douglas, Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery through Reconstruction, 1934

James VanDerZee, Couple Wearing Raccoon Coats with a Cadillac, 1932

Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art

Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950

Lee Krasner, The Seasons, 1957

Willem de Kooning, Woman I, 1950-1952

Mark Rothko, No. 61, Brown, Blue, Brown on Blue, 1953

Robert Rauschenberg, Canyon, 1959

Jasper Johns, Target with Four Faces, 1955

Roy Lichtenstein, Oh Jeff. . .I Love You Too, But , 1964

Andy Warhol, Marilyn Diptych, 1962

Claes Oldenberg, Lipstick Ascending on Caterpillar Tracks, 1969-1974

Post-Modernism

Robert Smithson, Spiral Jetty, 1969-70

Betye Saar, The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, 1972

Ana Mendieta, Untitled Work from the Tree of Life Series

Jeff Koons, The New Shelton Wet/Dry Triple Decker, 1981

Robert Mapplethorpe, Ajitto (Back, 1981
Maya Lin, Vietnam War Memorial, 1981-3
Nam June Paik, Electronic Superhighway, 1995

A “Perfect 5” Response Paper:

The Question: How did Giotto change painting in Europe, and which of his innovations did Jan van Eyck employ?

Giotto di Bondone brought noteworthy change to painting in Europe during the Renaissance.  Some of the change that he initiated would be reflected in the works of later artists.  As a part of the cultural and artistic rebirth during the Renaissance, Giotto re-invented the way people were painted on canvas to reflect a truer depiction of the way people were in natural settings.  Just as Petrarch wrote his poetry during the time in vernacular instead of in Latin, the language of the educated, Giotto painted his subjects more realistically, painting feelings and movements of people he saw in their natural environment.  These more natural portrayals of people created powerful imagery that before then was not common to fine art.

        In paintings like, the Marriage at Cana, Rising of Lazarus, Noli Me Tangere, and Lamentation, the subjects in the painting are depicted in a way which conveys the emotion occurring in each picture.  In the Lamentation, Mary is clutching Jesus in a manner we would expect a grieving mother to be clutching a dead son.  The reactions of sadness on each of the mourner’s faces and the sullen curiosity of the male onlookers in the picture serve as a reflection of what one could expect at such a scene.  Giotto changed painting in Europe by creating imagery which emphasized realism not in the stylistic sense, but realism in the thematic choices and emotions he used for his subjects.

        Giotto is well known for his paintings of religious scenes and stories found in the Bible.  Jan Van Eyck, a later Dutch painter, is also well known for his realistic styling and religious themed paintings.  When comparing some of their works together, similarities can be drawn from the two.  Both painters painted in a developed realistic style that sought to imitate the lighting features on their subjects and portray them as more realistic people using body language in their paintings to convey emotion.  Also, both men focused on religious themes, but juxtaposed the imagery they used in their paintings with intertwining themes. 

In Giotto’s Rising of Lazarus, Noli Me Tangere, and Lamentation, the juxtaposition is between death and life.  In the Rising of Lazarus, Lazarus is resurrected from the dead by Jesus to the amazement of onlookers.  Lazarus, still wrapped in cloth to show that just earlier, he was in a grave, symbolizes this resurrection from the dead.  In the Lamentation, Jesus lays dead in the arms of Mary in a crowd of mourners.  Above Jesus, is a group of angels watching over him, to symbolize his passage to heaven and resurrection in God’s kingdom.  This juxtaposition of religious themes of the afterlife and resurrection were used in this work to create a dynamic image. 

Great Exam Answers:

Part I.  Short-Answer Ids

Page with Thamyris from Bocaccio’s “Concerning Famous Women,” 1402, Northern Early Renaissance, anonymous

This is an illumination.  The woman is a famous painter from classical times.  It displays the way paint was crushed.  Full view of table top allows us to see everything on it - this concept taken from Intl. Gothic style.  Women who could paint learned in their homes, from brother or other family members because not allowed to be apprentices.

Part II.  Comparisons

Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride, Jan van Eyck, Early Northern Renaissance, 1434 (left)

The Jewish Bride, Rembrandt, Dutch Baroque, 1665, (right)

The portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini is loaded with images and symbols, which is typical of Early Northern Ren. art.  This is known as iconography.  Many of the images contained are symbols: the one candle could be a wedding taper or it could be the presence of God.  The small dog is a symbol of fidelity the beads and the finial on the bed are symbols of St. Margaret, protector of childbirth, and the frame around the mirror portrays Christ’s passion.  Clearly there is a lot of religious influence in this work.  In fact, through use of iconographic elements, van Eyck places more of the emphasis on holiness and God than on the married couple even though it is a portrait.  The picture is so loaded up with other stuff that the focus is taken away from the couple a little.  Rembrandt’s painting The Jewish Bride places all of the emphasis on the married couple.  Instead of allover lighting as in the van Eyck work, Rembrandt uses the Baroque contrast of light and dark, or tenebrism to highlight only the couple.  Clearly, they are the most important element in the painting that deserves the focus and attention of the viewer.  Rembrandt also differed from van Eyck in that in his painting, the faces and actions are a lot more humanistic.  The man and woman’s faces show such caring emotion for each other that the viewer can feel some of that emotion almost tangibly.  This is a very strong viewer participation.  In the van Eyck, there is no sense of this at all.  There is no sense of emotion, the bride and groom hardly look at each other.

Slam Presentations: The following books may be helpful in choosing a chapter for your slam presentation.  You may also download an article you have found through the full-text database “ProQuest.”

Theory-Based Compilations:

Race-ing Art History:  Critical Readings in Race and Art History, ed. by Kymberly

Pinder. 

Art and Psychoanalysis, by Laurie Schneider Adams.

Suggested:  “Freud’s Leonardo” “Michelangelo’s Moses” or “Psychobiography: Caravaggio, Artemisia, Brancusi”

The Expanding Discourse:  Feminism and Art History, ed. by Norma Broude and Mary Garrard.

Michael Harris, Colored Pictures: Race and Visual Representation

Artists and Movements:

Virtue and Beauty: Leonardo’s Ginevra di Benci and Renaissance Portraits of Women, ed. by David Alan Brown. Choose any essay

Rembrandt’s Women, ed. by Julia Lloyd Williams.  Choose any essay

Mary Garrard, Artemisia Gentileschi

Mary D. Sheriff, The Exceptional Woman: Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun and the Cultural Politics of Art

Ingres’s Eroticized Bodies, by Carol Ockman.  Suggested: “A Woman’s Pleasure: The Grand Odalisque”

Petra ten-Doesschate Chu, Most Arrogant Man  in France: Gustave Courbet and Nineteenth-Century Media Culture

American Iconology, ed. by David Miller. Suggested: “Peale’s Mammoth” “Mary Cassatt and the Maternal Body”

Manet/Manette, by Carol Armstrong. Suggested: “Two Retrospectives” “Finale: The Bar at the Folies Bergere”

The Politics of Vision:  Essays on Nineteenth-Century Art and Society, by Linda Nochlin  Suggested:  “The Invention of the Avant-Garde” “The Imaginary Orient” “Seurat’s La Grande Jatte

Janice Tomlinson, Goya in the Twilight of Enlightenment

Tamar Garb, Sisters of the Brush: Women’s Artistic Culture in Late Nineteenth Century Paris

Erica Hirschler, et al., Mary Cassatt: Modern Woman

Patricia McCluskey, Art from Africa: Long Steps Never Broke a Back

Michelle Coquet, African Royal Court Art

Celeste Connor, Democratic Visions: Art and Theory in the Stieglitz Circle

Kathleen A. Pyne, Modernism and the Feminine Voice: O’Keefe and the Women of the Stieglitz Circle

Paul Wood, et al., Modernism in Dispute: Art Since the 1940s

Diana Crane, The Transformation of the Avant Garde: The New York Art World, 1940-85

Douglas Shand Tucci, The Art of Scandal: The Life and Times of Isabella Stewart Gardner

Jules Prown, Art as Evidence: Writings on Art and Material Culture

Jules Prown, et al., Discovered Lands, Invented Pasts: Transforming Views of the American West

Alan Trachtenberg, Reading American Photographs

Marianne Doezema and Elizabeth Milroy, eds., Reading American Art

Amy Werbel, Thomas Eakins: Art, Medicine, and Sexuality in

Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia

Alejandro Anreus, Diana Linden, and Jonathan Weinberg, The Social and the Real: Political Art of the 1930s in the Western Hemisphere

David Lubin, Shooting Kennedy: JFK and the Culture of Images

Steven Dubin, Arresting Images: Impolitic Art and Uncivil Action

Jonathan Weinberg, Ambition and Love in Modern American Art

Lisa E. Farrington, Creating Their Own Images: The History of African-American

Women Artists

There are so many more in the library!!!!