The visual arts both reflected and actively shaped the large-scale transformations?from industrialization to imperialism to the rise of the "new" woman?that produced the modern world as we know it. Throughout our exploration of European art from 1789 and 1889, special emphasis will be placed on historical context, in particular, issues of class, race, gender, and how these contributed to making nineteenth-century art among the most prized and studied periods of Western art history. We?ll investigate how paintings, sculptures, photographs, and prints helped define the revolutionary character of the period and the enduring legacies of the nineteenth century today. This course also aims to introduce students to the principal methods of art history. Lectures, readings, class discussion, and assignments will therefore routinely draw attention to the types of evidence art historians draw upon to build their argument, as well as how interpretations of artworks change over time. Most importantly, by learning how to describe and interpret the visual language of artworks?masterpieces by Jacques-Louis David, Gustave Courbet, and the Impressionists as well as lesser-known objects and images not normally covered in survey-type courses?and situate them in their historical context, you?ll also gain a better understanding of your own position in history.
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