AMS 2120 - AMERICN ART: COLONIAL PERIOD THRU THE GILDED AGE

credits: 3.0
Crosslisted/Same As: ARH 2120
Crosslisted/Same As (2): HIS 2120
AMS 2120-ARH 2120-HIS 2120. Will explore the cultural, social and political history of American art from the colonial era through the Gilded Age with a focus on the major movements, styles, and artists of the period, particularly relating to portrait paining, history painting, genre painting, and landscape. Topics include: the relationship between status and style in colonial design and portrait painting; neoclassicism and the gothic revival; the role of visual arts in reflecting and shaping national values, norms and attitudes; the role of the artist in American society; the tension between elite and popular tastes in a democracy; the tension between innovation and tradition in the evolution of new styles; the development and growth of art institutions. Objectives: A) Identify and describe major American artists and art works from the colonial period through the Gilded Age; B) Identify and explain the significance of the major schools and styles of American art from the colonial period through the Gilded Age; C) Interpret individual works of art as expressions of the social, political and cultural history of their time; D) Describe and analyze a variety of critical responses to an individual artist or work of art; E) Describe and analyze a thematic museum exhibit of American art. Method of Instruction: Lecture and discussion. Method of Evaluation: Quizzes and in-class writing; three exams; two papers. Meets *WEP Distribution Requirement.