Courses of Study:
Minor
Major (B.A.)
Post-Baccalaureate Program
Department website: http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/fine_arts/index.html
Objectives
Undergraduate Major
The fine arts department offers programs in studio art and art history for the undergraduate student who wishes to study the visual arts as a creative artist or as a humanist.
Art History
Art is the visual record of human history (and the expression of our finest aspirations). The history of art is a discipline that critically examines that record and achievement in the broadest cultural and intellectual context. The art history program offers a wide array of courses. Some courses provide a survey of major developments in Western and Asian art, while others examine in greater detail major themes or movements in art (such as Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, the Age of Cathedrals, and the History of Photography). Students are able to complement these offerings by taking advantage of the proximity of the Rose Art Museum and the wealth of other art museums and cultural institutions in the surrounding area. This comprehensive program exemplifies the ideals of a liberal arts education and thereby enhances any individual course of study. It also prepares students to enter graduate programs in art history, museum studies, and arts administration, or to begin careers in the arts.
Studio
Art is a language of its own making and as such, a student is educated in visual thinking and creativity through the fundamental process of direct experience. The studio department offers diverse approaches in painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, and drawing. The studio program fosters a student's ability to make an informed judgment and it is supplemented through a distinguished visiting artist program, a strong pedagogical link with the Rose Art Museum, and trips to important museums and galleries in New York City, Washington, D.C., and the Boston area. Through the core of studio classes the student is able to realize, with excellence, his or her potential for expression and informed vision. Studio is an appropriate vehicle for an intellectual experience within the liberal arts context, and students are assisted in the preparation for B.F.A. and M.F.A. graduate programs.
Post-Baccalaureate Program in Studio Art
The fine arts department offers a post-baccalaureate certificate program for students with a bachelor's degree who are interested in extending their experience in studio art. The program's structure emphasizes independent work with assistance achieved through critical interaction with faculty and visiting artists. Students can prepare portfolios for admission to graduate school, or achieve the self-sufficiency necessary for continued studio work outside an academic environment.
Mortimer-Hays Brandeis Traveling Fellowship
The department administers the Mortimer-Hays Brandeis Traveling Fellowship, which provides support to students in the visual and fine arts, including art history, conservation, studio art, and photography for travel and living expenses outside the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Support is provided only in accordance with a program of study or other activities approved by the fellowship selection committee. Brandeis is one of ten colleges and universities that participate in this program.
How to Become a Major
Art History
The art history major is offered a variety of courses in ancient to contemporary Western art and Asian art. The student may specialize in a given area and choose a faculty advisor who will guide his or her work. The Honors Program in art history requires the completion of a Senior Thesis written under the close supervision of an advisor and a faculty committee. In addition to the courses given at Brandeis, the art history major may enroll in special seminars given by the staff of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. These courses range from Egyptian art to American landscape painting to the preservation and scientific examination of works of art and all of them involve contact with art objects in the Museum's world-famous collection. Students may also receive academic credit for internships taken in off-campus museums and art galleries.
Minor in Art History
A minor in art history is offered in addition to the major. This gives the student majoring in another department the opportunity to flexibly construct a program of six art history courses that reflect his or her own personal or academic interests.
Studio
It is recommended that students considering a studio art major enroll in a beginning painting or sculpture course in their sophomore year to allow time to develop their work in a sequence of courses taken over a period of three years. Studio majors are expected to take art history classes as an important component of their major requirement and to deepen their creative experience. Majors are encouraged to extend their intellectual and creative involvement through summer art programs and participation in full studio faculty reviews of their work during sophomore, junior, and senior years.
How to Be Admitted to the Post-Baccalaureate Program
An undergraduate major in studio art is not required of applicants, but students should be working beyond the beginning level in painting or sculpture. Applicants will be required to submit a group of slides of their work. GMAT or GRE scores are not required. (For more information applicants should contact the fine arts department.)
Faculty
Charles McClendon, Chair (Spring 2003)
Medieval art and architecture.
Nancy Scott, Chair (Fall 2002), Undergraduate Advising Head, Art History (Spring 2003)
Late 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century European and American art, from the French Revolution to World War II.
Pamela Allara
Modern and contemporary European and American art. History of photography. Film history. Women's art history.
Gerald Bernstein
American art and architecture.
Melissa Brown
Printmaking.
Graham Campbell
Painting.
James O. Clark
Painting.
Tory Fair
Sculpture.
Trevor Fairbrother
Contemporary art.
Alfredo Gisholt
Painting.
Susan Lichtman
Painting.
Richard Ryan
Sculpture.
Carl Scholz
Sculpture.
Jonathan Unglaub
Renaissance and Baroque art.
Joseph Wardwell, Post-Baccalaureate Coordinator
Drawing and painting.
Aida-Yuen Wong, Undergraduate Advising Head, Art History (Fall 2002)
Asian art.
Nadine Zanow, Undergraduate Advising Head, Studio Art
Painting.
Requirements for the Major
Students may major in either studio art or art history. A minimum of 12 semester courses is required to fulfill each major. Students may also double major in studio art and art history if the requirements of each major are fully met.
Studio Art
Studio majors are required to take:
A. Any two of the following courses: FA 1a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b; FA 103a, FA 103b, FA 106a in any combination.
B. FA 110d (Senior Studio).
C. Four additional semesters of studio electives.
D. Four semesters of art history, from among the Fine Arts and cross-listed courses, consisting of one course in ancient or medieval art, one course in Asian art, and two courses in Renaissance to Modern art. Studio majors may take either FA 76a or FILM 100a for an elective, but not both.
Art History
Art history curriculum general requirements: 10 required courses from among the FA and cross-listed course offerings, plus two electives.
A. FA 17a or one course each in ancient and medieval. Students who take FA 17a must take one additional elective from the Fine Arts and cross-listed courses to fulfill 10 required courses.
B. FA 18b plus two electives in Renaissance through Modern or three courses selected from the following four fields: Renaissance, Baroque, Modern, and Architecture/American.
C. One course in Asian art.
D. FA 197b (Seminar in Methods and Approaches in the History of Art).
E. One research seminar or independent study in art history (FA 98b).
F. Two semesters of studio work.
G. The remaining elective courses may be selected from other art history (not studio art) and cross-listed offerings for this department, or with permission of the faculty advisor and the art history undergraduate advising head, courses may be taken in related areas outside of the department.
Prospective graduate students in the history of art are advised to acquire skills in foreign languages, which are necessary for graduate study.
Studio
The studio faculty has developed the studio courses listed in the catalog in the belief that the artist-teacher stands at the center of the syllabus of the studio courses. Their presentation is structured through interaction with the individual student. In the best interest of the students' development it is advised that they utilize all the studio faculty, so as to enrich their educational experience through the diverse offerings of the department. In the event that a student wishes to enter a full-year course at mid-year and feels that work previously accomplished evidences a competency that is equivalent or superior to that course, the student may request that his or her work be viewed by the instructor. Enrollment prerequisite is the consent of the instructor.
Requirements for the Minor in the History of Art
Six courses are required in art history:
A. One must be taken in pre-Renaissance or Asian art history.
B. Five additional art history courses.
No more than two courses taken in programs abroad, or as transfer credit, can be counted toward the minor.
To fulfill the minor, all courses must receive a final grade of C- or better, and no more than one course in the sequence may be taken Pass/Fail. Studio courses are not considered part of the art history minor.
Requirements for the Post-Baccalaureate Program in Studio Art
A. Students enroll in two courses each semester:
1. FA 200d: A studio tutorial with faculty advisors.
2. One advanced course in drawing, printmaking, or sculpture.
B. Students receive a full studio faculty review of their work mid-year and at the end of the academic year. The Post-Baccalaureate Program culminates in a special student exhibition in a gallery on campus.
C. There is a one-year residency requirement that may be extended to an additional year with permission of the program chair.
Courses of Instruction
(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students
Studio
All studio courses are semester classes with the exception of 107d, 108d, 110d, 111d, and 112d, which are full-year classes.
FA 1a Elements of Design in Art I
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 20. Beginning-level course. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. Studio fee: $30 per semester.
Color: An exploration of color as subject and content in art. This is a beginning-level practical studio course. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Wardwell
FA 1b Elements of Design in Art II
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 20. Beginning-level course. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. Studio fee: $30 per semester.
The theoretical and visual study of pictorial form in non-representational drawing. This is a beginning-level practical studio course. Usually offered every year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Ms. Fair
FA 3a Introduction to Drawing I
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 20. Beginning-level course. No previous drawing experience necessary. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. May be repeated once for credit if taught by different instructors. Studio fee: $20 per semester.
Introduces students to theories of visual art through the practice of drawing. Translation of perceptual experience into pictorial language is fundamental to this course. Students may draw from still-life situations, from landscape and architectural spaces, and from the human figure. Offered every year in multiple sections. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Lichtman, Mr. Wardwell, Ms. Zanow, and Ms. Brown
FA 3b Introduction to Drawing II
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 20. Beginning-level course. No previous drawing experience necessary. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. May be repeated once for credit if taught by different instructors. Studio fee: $20 per semester.
See FA 3a for course description. Offered every year in multiple sections. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Ms. Brown, Ms. Lichtman, Ms. Zanow, and Ms. Brown
FA 4a Three-Dimensional Design I
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 20. Beginning-level course. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. May be repeated once for credit if taught by different instructors. Studio fee: $25.
Exploration of three-dimensional aspects of form, space, and composition utilizing a variety of materials and sculptural techniques. Emphasizes students inventing images through the use of modern materials and contemporary ideas about sculpture. Assignments are based on abstract thought and problem-solving. The intent of this course is to give students a rich studio experience and promote a fresh and meaningful approach to visual concepts. Usually offered every semester. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Fair, Mr. Scholz, and Mr. Clark
FA 4b Three-Dimensional Design II
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 20. Beginning-level course. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. May be repeated once for credit if taught by different instructors. Studio fee: $25.
See FA 4a for course description. Usually offered every semester. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Mr. Scholz and Mr. Clark
FA 98a Independent Study in Studio Art
Prerequisites: Normally open only to studio majors in their junior and senior years. Appropriate prerequisites. As the number of times FA 98a may be taken is limited by department regulations, the interested student should consult the department studio advising head and his or her advisor. Signature of the instructor is required. Appropriate studio fees will be charged.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
FA 99d Senior Research
Prerequisites: A grade point average in fine arts courses of 3.00. Interested studio students must take FA 98a in the fall semester of their senior year, in addition to FA 110d. At the beginning of the spring semester, students wishing to pursue Honors will have their artwork reviewed by studio faculty. Based on this review, eligible students will be given permission to enroll in FA 99d for the spring semester. Art history students petition at the beginning of their senior year. Signatures of the instructor and fine arts chair are required for enrollment. Appropriate studio fees will be charged for studio courses.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students
FA 103a Intermediate Drawing I
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: Any introductory studio course or permission of the instructor. Signature of the instructor required. Studio fee per semester: $20.
Investigation of drawing issues. Basic training in various media and methods of visual articulation. Course may be repeated for one semester. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Fair
FA 103b Intermediate Drawing II
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: Any introductory studio course or permission of the instructor. Signature of the instructor required. Studio fee per semester: $20.
See FA 103a for course description. A continuation of FA 103a. Usually offered every year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Ms. Fair
FA 104a Advanced Drawing I
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: FA 103a and 103b or permission of the instructor. Signature of the instructor required. Studio fee per semester: $15.
Offers a wide range of experience in drawing. Perceptual and conceptual issues will be pursued, and students will be encouraged to concentrate on the more complex personal and creative aspects of drawing. Course may be repeated for one semester. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Ryan
FA 104b Advanced Drawing II
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: FA 103a and 103b or permission of the instructor. Signature of the instructor required. Studio fee per semester: $15.
See 104a for course description. A continuation of FA 104a. Course may be repeated for one semester. Usually offered every year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Mr. Campbell
FA 106a Workshop in Printmaking: Intaglio
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: Either FA 1 or FA 3. May be repeated once for credit. Signature of the instructor required. Studio fee per semester: $50. Students with experience in printmaking should enroll in Section 2 (Intermediate Printmaking) of this course.
Exploration of various methods of intaglio printmaking. Usually offered every semester. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Brown
FA 107d Beginning Painting
[ ca ]
Signature of the instructor required. Studio fee per semester: $40.
Introduction to the basic language of painting and a thorough investigation of painting materials and methods. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Lichtman (Fall)
Staff (Spring)
FA 108d Intermediate Painting
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: FA 107d or permission of the instructor. Signature of the instructor required. Studio fee per semester: $40.
An intermediate-level painting course, emphasizing the plastic and formal means necessary to creating work that will become an increasingly personal statement. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Zanow
FA 110d Senior Studio
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: FA 108d, 112d, or permission of the instructor. Signature of the instructor required. Studio fee per semester: $40.
Heuristic in nature, this is a year-long course culminating in a final studio faculty review of the work produced. Review will take the form of an exhibition. Student work can be undertaken in sculpture or painting or a combination of both. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Messrs. Campbell, Clark, and Ryan
FA 111d Beginning Sculpture
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: FA 4a and FA 4b, or permission of the instructor. Beginning-level course. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. Studio fee per semester: $50.
A continuation of various ways of thinking about building sculpture through the use of materials. Assigned readings and museum visits required. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Fair
FA 112d Intermediate Sculpture
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: Both semesters of FA 111d or FA 4a and b. Signature of the instructor required. Studio fee per semester: $50.
Exploration of diverse sculptural concepts utilizing various materials and techniques. Emphasis on personal motivation and development. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Staff
FA 114a Intensive Studio: Painting
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: Students wishing to enroll should submit a slide portfolio of current work. Signature of the instructor required.
Intensive studio course dedicated to developing a student's visual ideas as expressed in painting, supported by printmaking, and drawing. Daily instruction with full-time faculty and visiting artists, participation in individual and group critiques, workshops, lectures, and gallery and museum visits. Offered on an irregular basis.
Staff
FA 115a Intensive Studio: Sculpture
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: Students wishing to enroll should submit a slide portfolio of current work. Signature of the instructor required.
Intensive studio course dedicated to developing a student's visual ideas as expressed in sculpture, supported by printmaking and drawing. Daily instruction with full-time faculty and visiting artists, participation in individual and group critiques, workshops, lectures, and gallery and museum visits. Offered on an irregular basis.
Staff
(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students
Art History
FA 12a History of Asian Art
[ nw ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
A selective survey of the art of the three major Asian areas: India, China, and Japan. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Wong
FA 13b Buddhist Art
[ nw ca ]
Enrollment limited to 25.
The history of Buddhist art in India, China, and Japan, including Zen art. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Ms. Wong
FA 15b Arts of the Ming Dynasty
[ nw ca ]
Enrollment limited to 25.
Examines a broad array of arts from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The first half of the course focuses on activities in and around the Chinese court. The second half concentrates on monuments related to literati and popular cultures. Usually offered every three years. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Wong
FA 17a History of Art I: From Antiquity to the Middle Ages
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
A survey of major styles in architecture, sculpture, and painting from prehistoric times to the Gothic cathedral. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Unglaub
FA 18b History of Art II: From the Renaissance to the Modern Age
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60. Open to first-year students and sophomores.
A study of the major styles in architecture, painting, and sculpture of the West from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Mr. Bernstein
FA 19b Lives of the Artists
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 35.
Integrates the study of works of art with the literature of artists' lives, which serves as the foundation to understanding the genesis of human creativity. Diverse historical periods and varying levels of fame will be reflected in the choice of artists to be studied. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.
Ms. Scott
FA 20b Introduction to Visual Culture
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
Analyzes the visual culture in which we live, examining the tangible products of our mass culture and the media of advertising, television, and cyberspace. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Ms. Allara
FA 21b Survey of Western Architecture
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60. Especially recommended for first-year students, sophomores, and fine arts majors.
A historical survey of Western architecture from prehistoric times to the present. Traces the various stages of architectural development in Europe and America in a chronological format. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.
Mr. Bernstein
FA 22b History of Boston Architecture
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
A survey of the history of Boston architecture and urban planning from the first settlement in 1630 to the contemporary city. The presentation will be chronological and divided into four sections: Colonial, Federal, Victorian, and Modern. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Bernstein
FA 24b Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Latin American Art
[ nw ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
This course is a selective survey of the outstanding figures and movements that have made significant contributions to the history of Latin American art. Special focus will be on Mexican, Puerto Rican, Argentinean, Guatemalan, and Cuban artists. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.
Staff
FA 40b The Formation of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Art
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 15.
The origins and development of the synagogue, church, and mosque and related arts in the first millennium C.E. Emphasis on the debate among these three great religions about the proper form and function of art and architecture. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2004.
Mr. McClendon
FA 41a Art and the Origins of Europe
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 30.
Architecture, sculpture, and painting in Eastern and Western Europe from the decline of the Roman Empire to the Crusades. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Mr. McClendon
FA 42b The Age of Cathedrals
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 40.
Architecture, sculpture, and painting (including stained glass) in Western Europe from the 12th to the 15th century with particular attention to the great churches of medieval France. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Mr. McClendon
FA 43a The Art of Medieval England
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 40.
A survey of art and architecture from the end of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. Particular concern for the synthesis of native and foreign cultures and their artistic styles, resulting from the barbarian invasions, the Norman conquest, and political rivalry with France. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1999.
Mr. McClendon
FA 45a St. Peter's and the Vatican
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
The history, growth, and development of Christendom's most famous shrine, with particular concern for the relationship between the design and decoration of the Renaissance/Baroque church and palace complex and their early Christian and medieval predecessors. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Mr. McClendon
FA 51a Art of the Early Renaissance in Italy
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 30.
Major painters, sculptors, and architects in Rome, Florence, and Venice from Masaccio to Leonardo da Vinci. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Mr. Unglaub
FA 54b Renaissance Art in Northern Europe
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 50.
A survey of the art of the Netherlands, Germany, and France in the 15th and 16th centuries. Cultural developments such as the invention of printing, the Protestant Reformation, and the practice of alchemy and witchcraft will be considered through the work of major artists. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1999.
Mr. Unglaub
FA 58b High and Late Renaissance in Italy
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 50.
A study of 16th-century painting, sculpture, and architecture from Leonardo da Vinci to Tintoretto. Usually offered every year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Mr. Unglaub
FA 60a Baroque in Italy and Spain
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
The artistic spectacle of Papal Rome and Hapsburg Spain is explored. The works of Caravaggio, Bernini, and Velazquez capture the contradictions of the age: sensuality/spirituality, ecstasy/piety, degradation/deliverance, realism/idealism, exuberance/restraint, and statecraft/propaganda. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Unglaub
FA 61b Inventing Tradition: Women as Artists, Women as Art
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
The role of women in the history of art, as creators of art, and as the subject of it. Issues of gender and representation will be discussed, using the lives and art of women from the Renaissance to contemporary art. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.
Ms. Allara
FA 70a Paris/New York: Revolutions of Modernism
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 50.
A chronological survey of painting and sculpture from the French Revolution to World War II. Emphasis on the rise of modernism with Manet and the Impressionists, Picasso and the language of Cubism, and the Abstract Expressionist generation in America. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Scott
FA 71a Modern Art and Modern Culture
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 50.
A thematic study of the modernism in 20th-century painting and sculpture, emphasizing three trends: primitivism, spiritualism, and the redefinition of reality. Individual artists and art movements will be examined in the context of literature, politics, and aesthetic theory. Artists include Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, and Duchamp. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Ms. Allara
FA 75a High Art/Low Art: Modern Art and Popular Culture
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 50.
Examines the relationship between high, or elite, culture and popular culture in the 20th century. How have major modernist movements such as Impressionism, Cubism, and Pop Art been influenced by mass culture? What happens to traditional definitions of art in the age of mass communication? Topics include caricature, comics, advertising, and "the image world" of film and television. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2003.
Ms. Allara
FA 76b History of Photography
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
The history of photography from its invention in 1839 to the present, with an emphasis on developments in America. Photography is studied as a documentary and as an artistic medium. Topics include Alfred Stieglitz and the photo-secession, Depression-era documentary, Robert Frank and street photography, and post-modern photography. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Ms. Allara
Seminars in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
The following seminars are offered by the curators of the Museum of Fine Arts to a few selected graduate and undergraduate students of Boston University, Brandeis University, Boston College, Tufts University, and Wellesley College.
FA 80a The Art and Private Lives of the Greeks and Romans
[ ca ]
Restricted to students with majors in fine arts. Enrollment limited at the discretion of the fine arts chair and the instructor. Signature of department chair required. Interested students are required to consult the fine arts chair in regard to this course.
Explores art and architecture relating to the private lives of ancient Greeks and Romans, including houses, baths, mosaics, wall paintings, statuary, and jewelry from the Classical Greek through the late Roman periods. A focus will be study of objects in the MFA collections that illuminate such subjects as the lives of women and children, sports and games, weights and measures, personal adornment and hygiene (medicine), sexual practices, magic and superstitions. Whenever possible, these objects will be considered within their particular cultural contexts. Also surveys the major archaeological sites (e.g. Pella, Delos, Pompeii, Antioch) related to private life. Familiarity with art history or the classics is recommended. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Kondoleon
FA 80b Gainsborough and English Painting of the Eighteenth Century
[ ca ]
See FA 80a for restrictions and necessary signatures.
In anticipation of the major Thomas Gainsborough exhibition in the summer of 2003, this seminar will address the art of Gainsborough within the context of English painting of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The core of the seminar will be study of examples of English painting from Hogarth to Turner in the rich collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In addition, the class will visit a range of museum departments to explore exhibition strategy and installation, the scientific examination and conservation of 18th-century paintings on canvas, and contemporary developments in the graphic arts. Begins with the culture of the later Georgian era as we read a novel from the period and consider various approaches to biography. Study of current research methods in art history prepares students for independent investigations of English paintings in the museum's collections. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Mr. Ilchman
FA 84a Egypt Lost and Found: Boston and the Genesis of American Egyptology
[ ca ]
See FA 80a for restrictions and necessary signatures.
The MFA's Egyptian collection is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. This course examines how it got that way. Topics include Napoleon's Egyptian campaign of 1798, the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone and its aftermath, the great ages of exploration and collecting, the beginnings of American interest in Egyptology (with special attention to Boston), and the various stages in the formation of the Museum of Fine Arts, Bostons collection--including its 40 years of excavation in Egypt and the Sudan. Works of Egyptian art in the museum is studied in detail, and the rationale behind the installations of these objects is explored. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Berman
FA 85b The Preservation and Scientific Examination of Works of Art
[ ca ]
See FA 80a for restrictions and necessary signatures.
The technical examination and preservation of works of art will be explored through lectures, demonstrations, and readings that are primarily organized by material or class of artifact (such as stone, metal, ceramics and glass, textiles, works of art on paper, paintings, wood, furniture, and modern materials including plastics). Focuses on the work of art as the source of information about the materials and techniques of artists and craftsmen, how these materials interact with their environment, and what measures may be taken to preserve them. Examination techniques and analytical equipment currently used for research are discussed throughout the course. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Mr. Newman and Staff
FA 92a and b Internship and Analysis
Signature of the department chair required.
Students may apply in the spring semester for internships, of one- and two-semester commitment, for the following academic year at the Rose Art Museum. Focus may center in the areas of Education, registrar, or curatorial work. All student applications must be endorsed by a faculty recommendation. The Rose Art Museum staff interviews and decides upon the interns. Usually offered every semester.
Staff
FA 98b Independent Study in Art History
Prerequisites: Normally open only to art history majors in their junior and senior years. As the number of times FA 98b may be taken is limited by department regulations, the interested student should consult the art history advising head and his or her advisor. Signature of the instructor is required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
FA 99d Senior Research
See FA 99d listing under studio section for special notes and course description. Usually offered every year.
Staff
(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students
FA 102a American Avant-Garde Film and Video
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: FILM 100a. Enrollment limited to 20.
The tradition of independent film and video art in the United States from 1920 to the present. Artists include Maya Deren, Stan Brakhage, Bill Viola, and Yvonne Rainer. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Ms. Allara
FA 120a Modern Architecture
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
Survey of 19th- and 20th-century architecture. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Bernstein
FA 121a Contemporary Architecture
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
A study of stylistic and technological developments in post-World War II architecture. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Mr. Bernstein
FA 123a American Painting
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
A survey of American painting from the colonial period to the present. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Mr. Bernstein
FA 130a Twentieth-Century American Art
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
A chronological survey of American art from 1900 to 1990. Movements studied include social realism, abstract expressionism, and pop art. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.
Ms. Allara
FA 170b Nineteenth-Century European Painting and Sculpture
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 30.
A survey of movements in painting and sculpture from the French Revolution through the periods of Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Ms. Scott
FA 171a Impressionism: Avant-Garde Rebellion in Context
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 30.
Focuses on the major artists from the period 1863-86, from the time of Manet and the Salon des Refusés, through the eight group exhibitions of Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Pissarro, Morisot, and Cassatt and company. The antithesis of Impressionism, its academic rivals, the backdrop of the sociopolitical context, the Second Empire, and the Third Republic, will be provided, as well as the roots of the movement's dissolution. Offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Ms. Scott
FA 171b Contemporary Painting and Sculpture
[ ca ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Developments in painting and sculpture since World War II, with emphasis on American art. Consideration of major trends of the period, including Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, Color Field Painting, and Realism. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.
Staff
FA 172a History of Modern Sculpture: Statue, Structure, and Site
[ ca ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Charts the development of sculpture for 19th century practice, best exemplified by the work of Auguste Rodin, to the conceptual art projects of contemporary times. Focus is on monumental sculpture, especially expressions of public art from statue to structure, up to site (environmental art and earthworks) and installation art. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the fall of 2003.
Ms. Scott
FA 173a Georgia O'Keeffe and Stieglitz Circle
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 15.
The focus of this lecture course will be the art of Georgia O'Keeffe, her stylistic evolution, sources, and collaboration with contemporaries, especially Stieglitz, Strand, Dove, Demuth, Marin, and Hartley. Their collective aesthetic aspirations will be set against early 20th-century Modernism and important recent trends from Europe. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Ms. Scott
FA 173b Picasso and Matisse
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 15.
Examines the major contributions of all periods of Picasso's career, with special focus on the development of Cubism, counterbalanced with the color expression of Matisse and Fauves. The larger circle of artists, poets, and patrons associated with both these masters--from Juan Gris, Fernard Leger, and especially Georges Braque to Gertrude Stein and Guillaume Apollinaire--forms the core subject matter. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Ms. Scott
FA 174b Post-Impressionism and Symbolism 1880-1910
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 40.
The course curriculum will cover Post-Impressionist artists, Seurat, Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin and more broadly, Symbolist trends, Expressionism, and art nouveau at the end of the 19th century. These trends will be followed through chronologically to the early 20th century in the art of Matisse and the Fauves, and in German Expressionism. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.
Ms. Scott
FA 175b Duchamp to Deconstruction
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: FA 18b. Enrollment limited to 20.
The Modernist roots of Postmodernism in the visual arts and art criticism. The art and writings of Dada and Surrealist artists such as Duchamp and Magritte, the criticism of Barthes, Foucault, and Derrida, and postmodern American artists such as Warhol, Sherman, and Koons are linked. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Allara
FA 181b The Art of Japan
[ nw ca]
Enrollment limited to 60.
A survey of Japanese traditional arts, including Buddhist art, screen and scroll paintings, and Japanese prints. One aim of this course is to define Japanese taste in the arts. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Ms. Wong
FA 182a The Art of China
[ nw ca ]
Enrollment limited to 60.
A survey of Chinese art from antiquity to the Ch'ing dynasty. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Ms. Wong
FA 184a Studies in Asian Art
[ nw ca ]
Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Ms. Wong
FA 191b Studies in Renaissance and Baroque Art
[ ca ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Mr. Unglaub
FA 192a Studies in Modern Art
[ ca ]
Topics may vary from year to year and the course may be repeated for credit. Signature of the instructor required.
An undergraduate seminar, open to concentrators and minors, that analyzes artists, stylistic movements, and the cultural and social background of various artistic periods from the 19th and 20th centuries. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Staff
FA 194b Studies in American Art
[ ca ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.
Mr. Bernstein
FA 195a The Languages of Paint: Work since 1970
[ ca ]
Enrollment limited to 15. Priority will be given to art history and studio majors.
This seminar explores the visual and theoretical diversity of recent painting and reflects on the traditional notions of abstraction and representation. Works on exhibition at the Rose Art Museum are the primary objects for research papers and class discussions. Special one-time offering. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Fairbrother
FA 197b Methods and Approaches in the History of Art
[ ca ]
Signature of the instructor required. A library intensive course.
Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Scott
FA 198b Introduction to Museum Methods and Procedures
[ ca ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1996.
Staff
(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students
FA 200d Post-Baccalaureate Tutorial/Independent Study
Ms. Lichtman, Ms. Zanow, and Staff
Cross-Listed Courses
CLAS 133b
The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
CLAS 134b
The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome
CLAS 145b
Topics in Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology
FILM 100a
Introduction to the Moving Image
PHIL 113b
Aesthetics: Painting, Photography, and Film