ART 100 Aspects of Art [3] An introduction to ways of seeing and discussing art from around the world, including examples of painting, sculpture, prints, photography, architecture, and other historical and contemporary media. Content of the course at the discretion of the instructor. All sections share the goal of developing an understanding of the forms, techniques, and interpretations of works of art. Students may not register for this course if they have previously taken a college-level art history course. Visual resources fee.
ART 184 Study/Travel [1–3] A Winterterm or intraterm study trip scheduled by the department, alone or in conjunction with the AUC or another department. Organized visits to historic monuments and museums. No prerequisites. (Students may take this course more than once, if the content does not involve repetition.)
Survey Courses
ART 210, 211, 212 Introduction to the
History of Western Art I, II, III [3, 3, 3] Considers major examples
of painting, sculpture, and architecture in their historical and cultural context
and suggests ways of understanding and responding to achievements in the visual
arts. First semester, from the earliest civilizations to early Renaissance;
second semester, early Renaissance into the 19th century; third semester, 19th
and 20th centuries. Each of these courses may fulfill a general education requirement.
Visual resources fee.
ART 213 Prints and Illustrations [3] This introductory course considers developments in printed imagery in the West from the Middle Ages to the present. Included are various ways prints have been produced, the social functions they have served, and the works of individual printmakers, such as Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya, Daumier, and Kollwitz. Visual resources fee.
ART
214 History of Photography [3] A survey of the history of photography
since 1839, primarily in Europe and America. Emphasis on the relationship between
the many uses of photography as art form, journalism, book illustration, scientific
and legal documentation, advertising, and political propaganda. Visual resources
fee.
Intermediate Courses Fulfilling
Distribution Requirements for
Major and Minor
ART 320/REL 321 Ancient Art: Pre-Classical [3] The development of art from its prehistoric beginnings until approximately 1000 B.C. Cultures include Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Persian, Hittite, Minoan, and Mycenaean. The course may focus on one or two of these cultures; the emphasis for a given semester will be listed in the schedule of classes. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 321/REL 322 Ancient Art: Classical [3] The Graeco-Roman classical tradition, emphasizing architecture and sculpture, from the beginning in Archaic Greece to the spread of Hellenism and the Roman contribution (approximately 650 B.C. to A.D. 300). Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 330/REL 323 Medieval Art [3] European art from the fourth through the 14th century A.D. Such media as ivories, mosaics, and manuscripts, as well as monumental sculpture and architecture, are used to study the range from Early Christian and Byzantine through Late Gothic art. The course may focus on either Mediterranean or Northern art. The emphasis for a given semester will be listed in the schedule of classes. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 341 Early Italian Renaissance Art [3] Proto-Renaissance art in Siena and Florence; Early Renaissance painting and sculpture with emphasis on the Florentine school. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 342 High Italian Renaissance Art [3] Sixteenth-century painting, sculpture, and architecture in central Italy and Venice, stressing the formation of the classical styles of Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Bramante. Emphasis varies. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 350 European Baroque Art [3] Selected topics in the history and interpretation of the painting, sculpture, architecture, and graphic arts of 17th-century Europe. The emphasis for a given semester will be listed in the schedule of classes. Possibilities include the painting of Caravaggio and his followers, Roman architecture and decoration, the painting of Rembrandt and Rubens, and Dutch painting and prints. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 351 European 18th-Century Art [3] Selected topics in the history and interpretation of the painting, sculpture, architecture, and graphic arts of 18th-century Europe. The emphasis for a given semester will be listed in the schedule of classes. Possibilities include the development of the Rococo style in painting and decoration, Bavarian church and palace architecture, painting and politics in France, and Hogarth and his contemporaries in England. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 352 Early American Art [3] Painting, architecture, and decorative arts in America. Considers the American arts in light of their English and European origins in the colonial period, the Federal period, and the Neoclassical and Gothic revivals in the early 19th century. Folk art as well as high-style forms are considered. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 360 19th-Century Art [3] Selected topics in the history and interpretation of the painting, sculpture, architecture, and graphic arts of 19th-century Europe and America. The emphasis for a given semester will be listed in the schedule of classes. Possibilities include Revolution and Romanticism, landscape art, the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Impressionism, and Postimpressionist directions. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. (Students may take this course more than once if the content does not involve repetition.) Visual resources fee.
ART
361 20th-Century Art [3] Topics in the history and criticism of 20th-century
art,
including painting, sculpture, photography, graphic art, film, video, performance
art, installations, design, architecture, craft media, and technological media.
The emphasis for a given semester will be listed in the schedule of classes.
Possibilities include modernism, the avant-garde, postmodernism, political and/or
social art movements, abstraction, realism, art and text, materiality. Prerequisite:
Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing.
(Students may take this course more than once if the content does not involve
repetition.) Visual resources fee.
ART 370/REL 370 Chinese Art [3] Introduction to the arts of China in their cultural and historical context. Special attention is given to Shang Dynasty bronzes, Buddhist sculpture, landscape painting, ceramic art, and traditional palace and temple architecture. Prerequisite: Any 200-level art history course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 371/REL 371 Japanese Art [3] The development of Japanese art from prehistory to the 19th century, with special attention to the great traditions of Shinto and Buddhist architecture, painting, and sculpture, including the impact of Zen on the arts. The secular arts are also examined: art for the Heian court and the shogun’s castles, and the works of the ukiyo-e printmakers of the Edo era. Prerequisite: Any 200-level art history course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART
372/REL 372 Art of India [3] Introduction to the traditional arts of
India, in their cultural context, from the third millennium B.C.E. to the 19th
century, and to the basic ideas, myths, and legends of the three major religions
that inspired the creation of most of India’s greatest monuments during
its long history: Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. A few of the most important
masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, painting, and the decorative arts are
examined in depth to emphasize the close connections between India’s art
and religion and the historical developments that brought social and artistic
changes to the subcontinent. Prerequisite: Any 200-level art history course,
or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
Other Intermediate Courses
ART 381 History of Costume [3] The development of dress in the West, from Ancient Egypt to the present. Emphasis is on style and silhouette, including textiles, cosmetics, hair dressing, and fashion accessories that created differing ideals of beauty in history. Concentration on the social, political, and historical events that contributed to the evolution of clothing. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 382/GS 382 Women in Art [3] An examination of the historical and contemporary positions of women as producers of art and as primary objects in artistic imagery. Gender theory and feminist theory are used to assess the changing roles of women in artistic professions and women’s social roles as indicated in art. Women’s traditional arts in cultures worldwide, women’s accomplishments in Western fine arts, and women’s work in contemporary media, such as video, photography, and film, are considered. Prerequisite: GS 100 or any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
ART 384 History of Design [3] A topical introduction to the history of design in the 20th century. Graphic design, industrial design, and interior design are examined intensively; reference to fashion and architecture is frequent. Contemporary debates in design theory form the basis for exploring the social, economic, and political underpinnings of design production in present and past situations. Emphasis on the Western tradition. Prerequisite: Any 200-level Art History course, or ART 100 with junior or senior standing. Visual resources fee.
Special
Courses
ART 183, 383 Artforms [1–3] Varied offerings pertaining
to specific media, cultures, issues, or aspects of the profession. Intended as service courses for the Hartford Art
School or in conjunction with AUC courses. Offered as appropriate. Descriptions
and prerequisites vary. Visual resources fee.
ART 190, 290, 390, 490 Special Topics in Art History [3, 3, 3, 3] Selected subjects varying from year to year in accordance with the needs of the curriculum and the availability of specialists in these topics. Visual resources fee.
ART 491W/PHI 491W Seminar: Art Theory and Methodology [3] Critical and comparative study of selected writing in art criticism, art history, and aesthetics. Historically significant theories concerning the evaluation, the function, and the interpretation of the visual arts are examined. Prerequisites: 15 credits in art history, or PHI 260, or PHI 361, or PHI 380; or permission of instructor. (Writing-intensive course) Visual resources fee.
ART 492 Seminar in Art History [3] Intensive study of specific topics in art history, changing by semester. Emphasis is on research, oral, and written presentation of research, and participation in discussions. Prerequisite: 15 credits in art history or permission of instructor. (Students may take this course more than once, if the content does not involve repetition.) Visual resources fee.
ART 493 Internship [3] Internships at the Wadsworth Atheneum or another arts institution. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
ART
494, 495 Independent Research [1–3] Individual research on a
specific problem chosen by a student, approved and directed by a faculty member.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.