A study of modern and contemporary architecture and urbanism investigates Art Nouveau and the canonical works of early twentieth-century modernism, with particular emphasis on Frank Lloyd Wright, Miles van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. Postmodern and Deconstructivist theory and practice are also examined. A survey of the development of modern sculpture with emphasis on major sculptors from Henry Moore to the present. The rich collections of sculpture in the greater Boston area serve as primary sources. A study of the revolutionary developments in the visual arts during the late 18th and 19th centuries in the West, with some review of earlier contributing forms incorporated in the Romantic, Medieval, and Classical revival movements in the visual arts.
Material is drawn primarily from Western traditions, and includes cross-cultural references.
An exploration of key topics in American painting, sculpture, and architecture from the Colonial period to 1940, with emphasis given to the Hudson River School, American Impressionism, Thomas Eakins, the origins of the skyscraper, the Ashcan school, and early American modernism. Students investigate the influence of political agendas on building topology and style, and the use of architecture as political propaganda. Topics include the architecture of imperialism, state subsidized housing, and the politics of urban planning. Students also investigate neo-conservative, feminist, and Marxist approaches to architecture, as well as the debates surrounding recent technological developments. Particular attention is paid to shifting dimensions of fine art, popular culture, and crafts.