Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Loria 656
Office Hours: Thursdays, 2 to 4
or by appointment
This course surveys the history of Western art from the start of the 14th century to the late
20th century. Lectures will introduce important artists and paintings (this is primarily a
course about paintings), as well as major themes associated with the art of particular
periods and cultures. We will pay special attention to the power of looking at and
creating works of art, as that power has been manifest in different historical moments,
and to developing students’ abilities to write about works of art. Sections will take place
in the Yale University Art Gallery. Images for study will be available online.
REQUIREMENTS
--Lecture and section attendance, section participation (10% of the final grade)
--Short paper (10%) Due February 1
--Midterm examination (20%) on February 17
--5-page rough draft of final paper, (5%) Due March 3 (paper topic due February 22)
--10-page final paper (25%) Due April 21
--Final examination (30%)
This paper is about learning to look closely at a work of art and learning to find the right
words to describe what one sees. It is also about learning to identify and translate into
written language one’s personal response to a work of art. The paper is to be two pages
in length and should focus on a single work of western art, from ca. 1300 to 1900, at the
Yale University Art Gallery or the Yale Center for British Art. The paper will emphasize
sensitive and insightful description—how many features of the work you’ve chosen can
you point out?—but not only description. You will need to make a case for what you feel
is the overall mood of the work you’ve selected. Is it austere and foreboding? Is it
lyrical or even playful? Importantly, how do the details you’ve noticed in the picture
contribute to this mood? No library research is required for this paper; indeed it is better
if you simply look intensively at the work you have selected and tell, in effect, a two-
page story detailing your response to it.
A NOTE ABOUT THE FINAL PAPER (rough draft due March 3; paper due April
21)
The paper is to be written about one or two works of art at the Yale University Art
Gallery and/or at the Yale Center for British Art. Students will select the work(s) they
wish to write about in consultation with their t.a. and/or the professor. The final paper
will be a thesis-driven account, analyzing the painting(s) in detail and also including
1
research from at least three library sources. Correct footnoting and bibliographic formats
will be expected. Special extra class meetings will be arranged (attendance
recommended but not mandatory) to cover the skills and strategies of writing a research
paper in art history.
REQUIRED TEXTS
--Fred S. Kleiner, Christin J. Mamiya, Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, the Western
Perspective, v. II (13th Edition). Available at Labyrinth Books.
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in Venice, ca. 1516-1590
--Gardner, 482-489, 493-494
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April 12 Drip Painting: Jackson Pollock, 1947-50
--Gardner, 745-753
FINAL EXAM