I 3.0 Credits Description FINA 104 is an introductory art history course that surveys Western art from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. A survey of Western Art II, carries on the survey from the Renaissance to present times. Both courses were jointly developed by the Open University and the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. Thus we try to understand art in terms of its social and historical contexts. For example, the purpose of much Egyptian art was to assist or entertain the dead in the afterlife.
Art can have many functions.
It can be a means of influencing the gods or nature, it can be a form of language, it can be part of a ritual ceremony, it can be a tool for establishing status and political authority, to name a few. Understand the relationship between gods, kings, and art in early civilizations. Understand the religious, social, and ritualistic functions of art. Appreciate the similarities and differences of the art of different civilizations. Know the concepts, beliefs and, assumptions that underlie art of different cultures.