ARH 2420 - THE AMERICN LNDSCAP: ART, CULTURE AND SOCIETY

credits: 3.0
AMS 2420-ARH 2420 and ARH 3420. Is a social and cultural history of the American landscape as it has been depicted in painting, photography, architecture and design. Topics will include the Hudson River School of painting, the role of landscape design in reflecting and shaping social behavior (e.g., Central Park), the role of artistic representations of the landscape in promoting tourism and development in the National Parks, and the relationship between landscape art and environmental politics. Artists to be considered include Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Andrew Jackson Downing, Frederick Law Olmsted, Ansel Adams, Linda Conner, Nancy Holt, Mark Klett and Richard Misrach. Throughout the course we will focus on the way in which artistic representations of America’s natural and designed landscape have both shaped and been shaped by ideas about national identity and destiny, gender, ethnicity and class. Objectives: A) Identify significant artists, works and aesthetic approaches in the history of American landscape art; B) Describe the political, cultural, social and historical contexts that have shaped the representation of landscape in American art; C) Evaluate and compare individual works of landscape art as expressions of the various ideas and values associated with the contexts in B, above; D) Demonstrate effective spoken and written communication about the above topics. Method of Instruction: Lecture and discussion. Method of Evaluation: Quizzes and short in-class writing; two exams on course material; two essays on course material and presentation. Meets *WEP Distribution Requirement.