art 467 american art —
emphasis on women artists and artists of color

Click here for Final
Click here for Group Discussion Sheet

TEXT: Wayne Craven, American Art: History and Culture. There is also a supplementary reading packet on Native American art.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:This course has been constructed to give students the following benefits: 1. Development of aesthetic awareness of a wide variety of American art, especially that which indicates this country's unique racial diversity and that which addresses issues of gender and/or sexual orientation. 2. Creation of a plan to critically analyze works of art by considering style, subject matter, meaning and the specific historical context in which the works were created. The role of the artist and audience will also be considered. 3. Exercise in critical thinking, cooperation and participation and training of the "visual memory"

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:All students enrolled in the course for credit (either Pass/Fail or A/F) are required to take both tests on the given dates. All students are also required to submit an eight page typewritten paper following the instructions set forth by the instructor. Late Papers will lose 10 points per day. Papers placed under my door or in my mailbox will be considered late.

TEST FORMAT: Tests in this course will consist of identifying slides in pairs and developing a thoughtful and detailed essays that compare and contrast key elements in the slide pair (considering style, subject matter, meaning, historical context, intended audience, artist's intent etc.) When studying for the test, and when you begin the exam, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why are these two shown together?

2. What do they have in common?

3. How are they different?

4. What are the major issues raised in these two slides?

5. Do the two slides show some sort of development of ideas? Above all, when you are writing compare/contrast essays ask yourself the question SO WHAT? as much as possible. SO WHAT? are keywords to force you to think "Why is this important?" or "Why is this significant". Another hint: write the exam as if you were explaining the the works of art to a someone who is very interested in the subject but knows nothing about it. Don't assume that I will know what you mean. Explain terms and ideas carefully.

Course Outline. Week 1: Introduction, Colonial America into the Federal Period (Representations of Native Americans, Society Culture of Native Americans. Featured artists: Gustavus and John Hesselius, Henrietta Johnston, John Vanderlyn, Charles Bird King, Georges Catlin, Thomas Easterly, Cohoe, Wo-Haw.)

Weeks 2 &3: The Federal Period thru Naturalism (Representations of African slaves and African Americans. Works of art by African Americans and women. Featured artists: Nathaniel Jocelyn, Robert Scott Duncanson, John Rogers, Eastman Johnson, Theodor Kaufmann, Winslow Homer, Thomas Nast, Harriet Hosmer, Edmonia Lewis)

Weeks 4 &5 Folk Art and the American Renaissance (Definition of Folk Art vs. "High Art" and association of women with Folk Art. Art at the turn of the century. Featured artists: Ammi Phillips, Eunice Pinney, Sarah Furman Warner, Sarah Lankford, Grandma Moses, Mary Cassatt, Celia Beaux, Henry O. Tanner, Thomas Eakins.)

Weeks 6 &7 The Early Modern Period (Realism, Regionalism, Modernism. Featured artists: Archibald Motley Jr., Marguerite Thompson, Georgia O'Keeffe, Women Collectors Gertrude Stein & Mabel Dodge, Photographers Dorothea Lange and Imogen Cunningham).

Weeks 8,9 &10 Modernism to Postmodernism. (Featured artists: Abastenia St. Leger Eberle, Sargent Claude Johnson, Richmond Barthé, William Johnson, Horace Pippin, Jacob Lawrence, Malvin Gray Johnson, Lois Mailou Jones, Romare Bearden, Helen Frankenthaler, Barbara Kruger).

It is unrealistic to expect that we will be able to cover everything contained in Craven's text. I will be highlighting those areas of special interest and importance in the overall development of painting, sculpture, and to a lesser extent, architecture and photography. Decorative arts will not be specifically discussed in the course and certain parts of the text will be skipped so that we can spend a significant amount of time on modern art. I encourage you to read the other parts of Craven for your own information. If we are skipping something you find particularly important or interesting please tell me. You might also consider making that area the focus of your paper.

Also please note that the lecture/discussions will cover many, but not all, of the concepts necessary to succeed in the course. You are responsible for the assigned readings. You may find it helpful to outline each section, using key monuments as reference points. Completing the reading for each session before class will help you prepare for each day's discussion periods.

*Note: this course dedicates more than 30% of its content to artists of color, women artists, and artists who deal with issues of gender orientation as listed on the course outline above. Its intent is to present these artists not as anomalies, rather as part of a unified investigation of American art.