AHST 409 20th & 21st Century Art

3 credits 45 hours
400 level undergraduate course

In this course, students will examine art of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries beginning with the advent of modernism (Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism), through postmodernism (Appropriation Art, Installation Art, Conceptual Art, Performance Art), and ending with more recent styles and movements in art (Public Art, Socially Engaged Art, Art and Globalization, New Media), which have inspired numerous attempts at characterization. In tandem with a close attention to the visual elements of selected works of art and the manner of their making, students will engage with important texts that situate the works within their historical, political, and social context. These textual investigations will also allow students to encounter, chart, and critique the diverse methodologies and theoretical foundations employed by art historians. Throughout this course, students will identify sites of omission in the art-historical narrative, try to understand the factors that orchestrate(d) and reinforce(d) these omissions, and make attempts at restoration. Crucially, this course will encourage lively and informed debate about the current state of the art world, including art’s role in activism and the necessity of decolonizing both the art-history curriculum and the art museum.

Prerequisites WRIT*102 or WRIT*102H

This course is not repeatable for credit.
This course can fulfill a discipline history elective, critical studies elective, or general elective requirement.