A survey from the pre-history of photography through post modernism. This course is offered as art history credit to sophomores, juniors or seniors. An introduction to the history of world ceramics focusing on a thematic approach covering such topics as the quest for whiteware users, funerary users, what makes a masterpiece, artist or factory marks, recent discoveries, the influence of metal work and craft art on ceramics. Permission of instructor required. This course is a series of case studies exploring the nature of sculpture across time and cultural boundaries.
Special attention is given to current investigations of sculptural form.
Topics concerning aspects of the American character and aspirations as shown through images created by crafts persons, artists, and architects from Colonial America and the United States will be discussed. Topics integrate not only traditional fields of painting, sculpture and architecture, but often include household art, furniture, folk art, and crafts. Each topic will slice across a span of cultural time often including Colonial, Early Republic, Civil War, Victorian, Early Modernism, the Great Depression, and Contemporary periods. Students are assigned research papers or oral reports on topics generated by readings, lectures, and class discussions. A survey of pre-contact art and architecture of Mexico and South America.