Art and Art History
Division of Humanities
- Carol Wilson, Acting Chair
- Robbi Behr
- Robert Duemling
- Anat Gilboa
- Amanda Kamen
- Donald McColl
- Denise Mensinger-Campbell
- Ray Noll
- Aileen Tsui
- Monika Weiss
- Scott Woolever
"The pencil speaks the tongue of every land."
— Alexander Pope
"Art for art's sake is an empty phrase. Art for the sake of the true, art for the sake of the good and the beautiful, that is the faith I am searching for."
— George Sand
Art majors learn to understand and create art through a range of introductory and advanced courses in studio art and art history. The student interested primarily in the visual cultures of the past is given the tools for historical analysis, as well as some understanding of concepts of current studio practice. The student concentrating in studio art also benefits from the perspective of those artists who came before her/himself, by taking at least three advanced courses in art history, while also learning something of the traditions of which she/he is (or is not) a part—the tradition going back to the Renaissance, for instance, that holds painting to be the eighth liberal art.
Whatever one's interests, the major is structured so that it serves primarily as an intellectual base, from which the student can make connections across the disciplines, as she/he seeks to understand, criticize, and engage the world. Not surprisingly, many art majors complete an additional major while at the College, in fields ranging from Anthropology, English, and the Humanities, to Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics.
For the major, eight courses, including three 300-level courses in art history and the Senior Seminar, are required beyond the prerequisites Art 200 and Art 251. All students considering the major are urged to take Art 200 and Art 251 in their first year. Students hoping to take the maximum offerings in studio art should take Art 261 by the end of the sophomore year, and consider spending a semester or year at the Maryland Institute College of Art www.mica.edu, or Washington Center for Academic Internships and Seminars. Students concentrating in art history are strongly encouraged to develop facility in a language (preferably French or German) other than that with which they fulfill the College's Distribution Requirements, and to participate in the College's Study Abroad Programs. For the minor, students are required to take Art 200, Art 251, and three 300-level courses in art or art history.
The Humanities and Fine Arts Distribution Requirement may be met by taking any combination of any two courses from the department, along with the required Humanities courses.
The curriculum throughout is integrated with a vigorous complement of internships (either at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars [see below], the Walters Art Museum, or the Baltimore Museum of Art, or at another site, to be determined in consultation with the Chair), study abroad programs (see below), exhibitions, public lectures or classroom visits by leading artists, critics, historians and curators, which have included in recent years Carlos Eire (Yale University), Shelley Errington (University of California, Santa Cruz), Nicholas Penny (National Gallery of Art), Robert Rosenblum (Institute of Fine Arts, New York University) and Jonathan Brown (Institute of Fine Arts, New York University), as well as regular departmental field trips to galleries and museums in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC.
The Senior Capstone Experience in art, which is to be undertaken under the close supervision of an advisor or advisors, to be determined by the Chair, but passed or accorded honors by all full-time Departmental faculty, involves some combination of the following: a comprehensive exam, or exams, and, in the case of those who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in the major, a visual thesis, or exhibition, an art history thesis, or curating an exhibition of works of art or other artifacts. To be awarded honors, the student must present and defend her/his thesis in a public forum.
In recent years, graduates in art have not only gone on to successful careers in studio art and art history, but have flourished in other fields as well, including business, teaching, medicine, and law, and, perhaps most importantly, continue to learn throughout their lives, and make significant contributions to their communities and the larger world of which they are a part.
Among the post-baccalaureate programs to which our students have been admitted in recent years are those at the Parsons School of Art and Design, of the New School University, New York, the Maryland Institute College of Art, the University of Maryland, College Park, the University of Iowa, the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas, Austin, the Fashion Institute of Technology, San Francisco and the Courtauld Institute of Art, of the University of London, UK.
Course Descriptions
Community, Nation, and World Seminars
The Department regularly offers CNW courses in which visual images figure prominently, including "American Illustration and Illustrators (Nation)," "Wars Against Idols: Cross-Cultural Studies in the Destruction of Images (World)," Late Antique Art in the Making (World) and "Japan in the Western Visual Imagination (World)."
200. Introduction to History of Western Art
A careful discussion and analysis of a selection of significant topics in the history of Western art from the earliest times to our own century. Emphasis is placed on the methods and approaches of the art historian. The term paper is written on a museum object. Required of all art majors.
251. Fundamentals of Visual Design
Introduction to the fundamentals of visual organization. Emphasis on two-dimensional design work and color theory. Required of all art majors.
261. Beginning Drawing
Introduction to basic drawing tools and techniques. Exposure to various media, rendering techniques, and the history of drawing. Problems based on still life, the figure, and nature.
271. Beginning Painting
Introduction to elementary problems of painting. Various stylistic approaches to color, form, space, composition, and the technical handling of various tools and materials. Prerequisite: Art 261.
281. Photography
This course serves as an introduction to black and white photography, with emphasis on basic camera skills, darkroom techniques, and understanding photographic imagery and processes. Prerequisites: ART 251 and permission of instructor (space is highly limited).
291. Digital Imaging
In this course, the student will become familiar with recent developments in digital media, become familiar with a variety of software, and consider what it means to work in this rapidly changing environment. Prerequisite: ART 251.
311. Italian Renaissance Art
After discussion of the special historic-cultural conditions that made the Italian citystate possible, the greatest painters and sculptors of Florence and Venice will be examined. Giotto, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, Botticelli, and Bellini are some of the major figures of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to be included. Field trip to the National Gallery of Art. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor.
315. Northern Renaissance and Baroque Art
Painting and the graphic arts in Germany and the Low Countries during the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries, with special emphasis on Van Eyck, Dürer, Bosch, Bruegel, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Field trip to the National Gallery of Art. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor.
316. European Art from the Baroque to Neoclassicism
Covers the seventeenth-century grand manner in Italy, France, Spain, and England, followed by the rococo and finally the austere style of revolution in the late eighteenth century. Caravaggio, Bernini, Poussin, Velazquez, and Gainsborough are a few of the principal artists. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor.
318. Nineteenth-Century European Art
Starting with Romanticism, the course gives intensive coverage to the major nineteenth-century movements in European art. The art of the period is seen in its cultural context with special reference to literature and to social conditions. Field trip to the National Gallery of Art. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor.
320. Twentieth-Century Art
This course discusses major artistic developments and key figures in twentiethcentury art from Matisse and Picasso into the twenty-first century. The emergence of abstraction, the historical position of the avant-garde, and theories of visual modernism are among the themes discussed in the course. Field trips to Philadelphia and Washington museums. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor.
322. The Arts in America
Although the course sketches in the art of the early colonies, its main body begins at the period of the American Revolution. Lectures and discussion explore the changing significance of the visual arts in American life and culture through the 1930s. Field trips to museums in Washington. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed under American Studies.
324. Photography's First Century
This course examines historical developments in photography from the 1830s to the 1920s, from the medium's inception through early modernism. Lectures and discussion will consider topics at issue in debates about photography's place in the history of art, such as changing attitudes toward photography's dual role as aesthetic creation and as documentary artifact. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor.
327. Washington Center Internship
A full-time, semester-long internship in Washington, DC, with a federal government agency, museum or gallery, or the like. The student must develop a substantial portfolio as part of their internship experience. Prerequisite: ART 200, a cumulative GPA of 2.8, permission of an instructor, and successful application to The Washington Center for internships and Academic Seminars. This course is normally open only to juniors and seniors. 12 credits. The internship package of Art 327, 328, and 329 will yield 16 credits towards graduation and 8 credits toward the art major or minor.
328. Washington Center Seminar
Washington Center Interns participate in an evening seminar selected from a variety of topics offered during the semester concerned. Students engage in class discussion, and may also be required to research seminar topics, prepare written assignments, and take examinations. Required of and limited to students enrolled in Art 327. Three credits.
329. Washington Center Forum
Washington Center Interns participate in lectures, site visits, small group discussions, briefings, and other required events, designed to help them understand the connection between their academic and professional goals and the special educational opportunities available through living and working in Washington, DC. Evaluations of these experiences are included in the student portfolio. Required of and limited to students enrolled in Art 327. 1 credit.
340. Ceramics
This course is an introduction to the techniques involved in the production of fired clayware, from the preparation of the raw material through various methods of manipulation, kiln firing techniques, and preparation of glazes. The emphasis in this course is on wheel-thrown and hand-built functional ware. Prerequisite: Art 251.
350. Advanced Drawing
The enhancement of technical skill combined with the study of the possibilities offered by drawing for creative interpretation and expression. Prerequisite: Art 261 or permission of the instructor.
360. Advanced Painting
Present attitudes and recent ideas are introduced to assist the student in individual study and personal exploration. Prerequisite: Art 271.
370. Serigraphy
This course is an introduction to serigraphic (silkscreen) techniques of printmaking, using paper, direct, and photo-emulsion stencils. Students work to complete a portfolio of editions of prints. Emphases in the course are on precision and imaginative use of the medium, as well as on the analysis of the steps required to produce a given image. Prerequisite: Art 251.
380. Relief/Intaglio
This course is an introduction to traditional printmaking processes. The first half of the course is devoted to relief printing using both linoleum and wood blocks. The second half of the course covers a variety of intaglio techniques including dry point, hard and soft ground etching, aquatint, and collograph. Students work to produce a portfolio of editions of prints. Emphases in the course are on precision and sensitive manipulation of the various techniques. Prerequisite: Art 261.
394. Post-1945 Revolutions in Art and Theory
This seminar examines major movements in art and art theory that occurred after the end of the Second World War. A profound shift in what we understand as art today is among others a result of the ethical and esthetical crisis in the post-1945 world, when artists began to wonder whether art is still possible after the Holocaust, to paraphrase the Theodore Adorno's famous statement. This crisis proved to be a revolutionary force in the field of contemporary art. It produced new ideas and movements that occurred in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, closely related to cultural and social developments such as Postmodernism and Feminism. New historical terminology that attempts to define these movements i.e. Conceptual Art, Installation Art, Performance Art, New Media Art and many more—illustrates the difficulty in creating definitions for art that defies any definition. Contemporary works of art inhabit public spaces, are made from ephemeral materials, contain site-specific messages, take as subject the body and its racial or gender identity, and don't subscribe to a commercial exchange. In addition to works by key artists representing these movements, writings by selected postmodern and feminist theorists as well as by the artists themselves are also studied in this course. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of the instructor.
421. Early American Modernisms (Honors)
This course examines the variety of visual manifestations of the "modern" in selected examples of American art from about 1900 to 1930. While histories of visual modernism in the early twentieth century had, until recently, focused on artistic production in Europe, recent scholarship has brought new attention to the versions of modern art produced in the same period by artists living and working in the U.S The seminar will particularly focus on works produced in the contexts of the Stieglitz circles and of New York Dada. Prerequisite: ART 200 or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed under American Studies.
425. Women Artists and Feminist Art History (Honors)
In recent decades, growing scholarly attention has been brought to the previously neglected productions of female artists. This seminar will examine the variety of approaches that feminist art historians have taken in studying art made by women in the modern period. We will be concerned both with the historical analysis of the visual productions of particular female artists and with an exploration of how feminist theories, practices, and political commitments have affected, and can continue to change, the discursive and institutional construction of the history—or histories—of art and visual culture. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed under Gender Studies.
435. Dürer and His Culture (Honors)
This seminar course examines the art and life of Albrecht Dürer, through the lens of the major social, political, and religious movements of the day—the Renaissance, Reformation, witch craze, and German Peasants' War, to name the most important. Using interpretive strategies ranging from iconography and connoisseurship to Deconstruction, we will address through reading and discussion such issues as the apocalyptic yearnings and tensions attending the year 1500; the change in conception of the artist from mere craftsman to divinely inspired genius; the clash between an intensely visual culture and the aniconic theology of the Reformations of the sixteenth century; the shift from a world view of divinely ordained correspondences to the outlook of modern science; the changing role of women; and encounters between Western and non-Western peoples and traditions. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed under Gender Studies.
440. Rembrandt (Honors)
This course, which has as its subject the life and art of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606- 69), not only opens a window onto the culture of the Netherlands in the seventeenth century, but also serves as an introduction to the methodology of art history—from the scientific examination of paintings, to theories of interpretation—for few artists raise so many fundamental issues as to what it is we do as art historians—indeed resist traditional methods of interpretation—as does Rembrandt. The format of the course is that of a seminar, with students giving presentations, aimed at honing their ability, not only to tackle tough art historical questions, but also to articulate their ideas, in visual, oral, and written forms.
450. Wars Against Idols: Cross-Cultural Studies in Iconoclasm (Honors)
Why did the ancient Romans obliterate the images of their enemies? Why did the Muslim ruler of early modern India divert a river in order to destroy a prominent Hindu temple? Why did the early twentieth-century inhabitants of New Ireland (Melanesia) burn or leave to rot images that took months to make? These and similar questions lie at the heart of this course, which concerns the phenomenon of iconoclasm (from the Greek words for "icon," or likeness, and "breaking"). Drawing on the work of art historians, historians, economists, sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists, among others, we will try to understand the kinds of acts cited above, not merely as some sort of individual or collective pathology, as has often been the case—in part because those who have written the history of art so value "art" and those who make it—but rather as carefully considered responses to complex historical circumstances, with their own theories and conventions. What does one make of iconoclasm in sixteenth-century Zurich, for instance, when considering that the wood salvaged from devotional images of saints adorning the churches of that city was given to those whom parishioners thought to be the true image of Christ: the poor? Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of instructor.
472. Anthropology of Art
A study from anthropological perspectives of creativity, aesthetics, art, and artists. Readings include significant works by anthropologists who have taken unusual and interesting approaches to art, aesthetics, and the artist. Students will apply these new ways of thinking about and studying art to an ethnographic study of the art scene in Chestertown as well as to a larger project involving library research. Visual anthropology techniques will also be taught. Prerequisite: Anthropology 105 or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed under Anthropology.
194, 294, 394, 494. Special Topics
The intensive study of some selected art form, movement, or other specialized subject in studio art or art history. Special Topics courses for 2005-2006 include Introduction to Photography (Fall) and Digital Imaging (Spring).
394. Video Art and Theory
Combining the practical and the theoretical, this course serves as an introduction to Video Art. The history of the medium and its various philosophical dimensions and physical incarnations will be examined with reference to the works of several major video artists. Screenings of video pieces of the 20th and 21st centuries will be augmented by lectures and discussion, as well as the contributions of invited guests. Using simple recording and editing techniques, each student will make a video project which may also involve some combination of video and drawing, performance, and sculpture and the like, and will also be required to write an essay, based on research and on the Video Art itself. Students from various departments of the college, interested in visual art, art history, comparative literature, cultural studies, and/or gender studies, are welcome to register. The course is cross-listed with Gender Studies.
394. Jewish v Israeli Culture
"You shall not make yourself a carved image": Jewish vs. Israeli culture Lectures and discussion explore Israeli culture today. This course examines historical developments in Israeli visual arts, architecture, theater, music and dance from the beginning of the 20th century until today.
494. Women and Early-Modern Art
This course focuses on female artists, female figures as subjects, and women who commissioned art works from the 11th century through the 18th century. The course looks at images of female figures, relating these to womens social condition, the role of the male gaze, gender roles, and the power distribution between the sexes. A historical survey of women artists and their contribution, as well as an examination of the religious, mythological and secular images of women in art, and role of women who bought art will be the focal points in classes. The lectures will be organized chronologically as well as thematically.
190, 290, 390, 490. Internships
195, 295, 395, 495. On-campus Research
196, 296, 396, 496. Off-campus Research
197, 297, 397, 497. Independent Study
490. Museum Internship
This is for seniors with a strong academic record in the Department. In recent years, art majors have held internships at such places as the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, Massachusetts; the Kunstmuseum, Bonn; and the British Museum, London. Soon, students will be able to earn credit through interning at the College's soon-to-be-built Kohl Art Gallery.
495. Senior Seminar: Contemporary
Practices and Methods in Studio Art Required of all majors in Studio Art this interdisciplinary course will provide a practical and theoretical framework for students to develop their visual practice of choice. Studio practice will include elements of advanced drawing, digital photography, video, sound, and installation art. Methodology will include writing artist statement, CV, project and grant proposal, professional portfolio development and exhibition design. Prerequisite: Art 200 or permission of the instructor.
495. Senior Seminar: Methods of Art History
Required of all art history majors in the department, this seminar, preferably taken in the spring semester of the junior year or the fall semester of the senior year, will provide a more theoretical framework for art and its history than is possible in 300-level courses, while also modeling the best professional practices, including such practical exercises as writing a résumé and doing curatorial work.
SCE. Senior Capstone Experience
Meant to be the summation of all one has done in the Department, the SCE involves some combination of comprehensive examinations and a visual or art history thesis or curatorial project. The SCE will be accorded Pass, Fail, or Honors, and, upon successfully completing it, the student will receive four credits.
Courses Offered In The Washington College Abroad Programs
Art courses are presently offered through the following institutions: Monash University, Melbourne, Australia (art); University of Costa Rico, San José (art), Costa Rica; University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (art); Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador (art); Royal Holloway, University of London, London, UK (media arts); University of Hull, Hull, UK (art history); Artois University, Arras, France (art history); University of Provence, Aix- Marseille I, Marseille, France, (art); University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany (art); University College, Cork, Cork, Ireland (art history); Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy; University of Siena, Siena, Italy; Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands (art history); Pontificia Universidad, Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru (fine arts); St. Andrews University, St. Andrews, Scotland (art history); Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa (art); Semester in Granada, Spain (art); and University of Nebrija, Madrid, Spain (art).
The following is a selection of commonly taken courses:
150. Methods and Monuments
Painting, sculpture, and architecture studied as artistic and cultural expressions of their times. Emphasis is on selected major artists, monuments, and methods of analysis. Offered in the London program only, both fall and spring semesters. Three credits.
308. Modern Architecture: 1750-1900
Aesthetic and technological developments of architecture, interior design, and the planned environment: Renaissance tradition to Art Nouveau and the rise of the skyscraper. Offered in the London program only, both fall and spring semesters. Three credits.
312. Art in Northern Italy from the Late Gothic through the Renaissance
The course casts light on a very important period of Italian Art during which the Northern Italian cities, with their enlightened rulers, gave birth and played host to some of the most important European artists. Its goal is to examine the most relevant topics of artistic thought and practice in order to understand the peculiarities of each cultural center and of the leading artists operating there. Offered in the Milan program only. Three credits.
314. Art in Northern Italy from the Baroque through the Present
The course analyses a very fruitful segment in the history of Italian Art, focusing, in particular, on artists and artistic movements that developed in the northern regions. The most important topics in artistic thought and practice will be examined in order to understand the peculiarities of each period. A detailed examination of the most significant works of painters, sculptors, and architects will seek to underline the differences in their artistic "languages" and will strengthen the student's ability to "read" works of art independently. Offered in the Milan program only. Three credits.
319. French Art of the 19th Century
This course surveys developments in art in France during the nineteenth century. The periods and movements studied are Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism, and Symbolism. The course includes visits to Paris museums and galleries. Offered in the Paris program only, in the fall semester. (In English.) Three credits.
326. Art and Architecture of Germany
This course presents the history of art and architecture in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present. The course includes several field trips to sites of artistic and architectural interest. Offered in the Bayreuth, Germany, program only, in the spring semester. (In German.) Prerequisite: German 202 or equivalent. Three credits.
327. Art and Architecture of Spain
This course is a history of art and architecture in Spain, beginning with Hispanic- Moorish art during the Middle Ages and ending with the contemporary period. Included are the Renaissance, Mannerism, the Baroque, Rococo, and the modern period. The course includes visits to major artistic and architectural sites in the city of Granada. Offered in the Granada, Spain, program only, in the fall semester. (In Spanish.) Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 202 or equivalent. Three credits.
335. Development of Space and Light in Florentine Painting, 1300-1550
This course will look at Florentine painting between 1300 and 1550 with special emphasis on the development of the illusion of space and light on a two-dimensional surface. The course will explore the sources of these forms (Greco-Roman, Early Christian, and Medieval), as well as look at the works of the major painters of the period (Giotto, Masaccio, Michelangelo). Field trips to view the art of the period are included. Offered in the Siena, Italy, program only, in the spring semester. (In English.) Three credits.