A&H 115 Introduction to Art History

Content

This course introduces students to the field of art history. It focuses on a number of important paintings, each representative of a specific period or movement in the history of Western art. Thus a chronological survey is offered ranging from the later Middle Ages until the present day. The course discusses individual works of art and their makers in depth, and pays attention to the art institutions and markets, as well as to critics and historiographers that somehow contributed to these masterpieces and their reputation. Field trips to important art collections are part of the course.

Instructor

Hans Bloemsma

Period

Fall / 2011

Course Material

• Penelope J.E. Davies [et.al.], Janson’s History of Art. The Western Tradition, seventh edition, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2006
• Mary Acton, Learning to look at paintings, London and New York: Routledge, 1997
• Reader

Required for

This course is required in order to take the following course:

• A&H 215 17th-Century Dutch Painting