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Curriculum

The Art History curriculum provides a thorough survey of movements, techniques, prominent figures, and critical analysis.

Students who declared their Art History major prior to Spring 2005, please see your advisor for your requirements.

Art History majors may add a Certificate in Museum Studies to their degrees. For information, see http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/mstd

Art History Minor Requirements

An Art History minor may be combined with a studio art major or a major in another academic discipline. Students interested in receiving an art history minor must make an appointment with Stacy Files in the Student Services Office, HR 126, to review requirements and plan their program of study. Call (317) 278-9400.

Academic programs / Undergraduate programs /
Art History / Curriculum

H300
Black Visual Artists

3 credits		 A survey of the artistic traditions of Africans in the New World, from the period of slavery in North and South America through contemporary and expatriate African American artists. Equivalent to Afro-American Studies A352; students may not receive credit for both courses.

H301
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

3 credits		 This course introduces the visual arts of sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and pre-Columbian and historic Native America. A limited number of cultures from each of these four world regions are selected for analysis.

H302
Beginnings of Twentieth-Century Art: 1886-1914

3 credits		 From the last impressionist group show of 1886 until the end of World War I, the foundation was laid for new visual expressions by both painters and sculptors. Course topics include post-impressionism, symbolism, art nouveau, fauvism, expressionism, orphism, cubism, and futurism.

H303
Contemporary African American Art and Artists: 1920-80

1 credit		 This distance education telecourse targets the African American visual artist, but it also includes the political and social non-art-related elements that contributed to the period’s activities. The course presents an introduction to, and the foundations of, the African American visual artist. It begins with the pre- and post-Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and journeys to modern African American art and its relation to post–World War II contemporary European and Euro-American art.

H304
Advanced Topics in Art History

1-6 credits		 Lecture/discussion of selected topics in history of art. No pre-requisites. Some Art History experience recommended. Topics change to coordinate with special exhibitions or other opportunities.

H310
Classical Archaeology

3 credits		 The material remains of the classical lands from prehistoric through Roman times and a variety of approaches by which they are understood. Archaeological theory and methods are illustrated through select sites, monuments, works of art, and other remains of cultural, artistic, and historical significance. (Equivalent to Classical Studies A301; students may receive credit for only one of these courses.)

H323
History of Printmaking I

3 credits		 This course explores the artistic evolution and cultural significance of printmaking from the invention of printing through the 18th century. Emphasis is given to the development of the woodcut, engraving, and etching processes, and to the works of major printmakers such as Durer, Rembrandt, and Hogarth.

H324
History of Printmaking II

3 credits		 This course covers the history of printmaking from 1800 to the present with emphasis on the development of new techniques such as lithography and silkscreen; the relationship of printmaking processes to other media in the work of artists such as Cassatt, Picasso, and Warhol; and the role of printmaking in the cultural context of visual communication.

H326
Romanesque and Gothic Art

3 credits		 Romanesque and Gothic art covers the period from about 1000 until 1550, from the artist-craftsman tradition of monasteries and cathedrals to the end of the Age of Faith in Europe. Painting, sculpture, and stained glass will be considered in their social and architectural context.

H331
Italian Renaissance Art

 This course covers the painting, architecture, sculpture, and graphic arts of renaissance Italy with emphasis on the changing role of artists in society, major stylistic movements, the use and reception of art, the work of major artists, and their cultural context.

H333
Art of the Renaissance

3 credits		 Introduction to the architecture, painting, sculpture, and graphic media of Renaissance Europe. Emphasis is placed on the political and social climate prevailing from 1400 to 1600, and its effect on the arts of Italy, Flanders, Spain, Holland, France, Germany, and England.

H334
Baroque Art

3 credits		 Exploration of the characteristics of Baroque art and its development in the 17th century. Special emphasis on selected Baroque artists such as Bernini, Rubens, Rembrandt, Velazquez, and Poussin, and on their personalities, styles, and positions in 17th-century society.

H341
Nineteenth-Century Art

3 credits		 Focus is on the major movements and artists in European painting and sculpture from the French Revolution to post-impressionism. Topics include neoclassicism, romanticism, realism, and impressionism. Artists such as David, Ingres, Goya, Delacroix, Courbet, Manet, Monet, and Degas will be covered.

H342
From Dada to Abstract Expressionism: 1915-1950

3 credits		 International movements in painting and sculpture from World War I until the emergence of the New York School after World War II including Dada activities in Europe and New York, the Bauhaus, European surrealism, and American art.

H343
Nineteenth-Century Architecture and City Planning

3 credits		 An analysis of significant architecture and city planning in Europe and North America from 1790 to 1886. Emphasis on aesthetic, spatial, and theoretical concepts of key architects and their solutions, technological advances, and social implications.


Modern Architecture

3 credits		 Emphasis is given to European and American modern architecture since 1892 and to contemporary architecture in Indiana since 1942. Selected modern movements such as art nouveau, Chicago school, prairie, the Bauhaus, international style, and post-modernism will be studied. Special attention is directed to the American architects Henry Hobson Richardson, Louis Henri Sullivan, and Frank Lloyd Wright, and to their contemporaries in Europe: Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

H345
American Art to 1913

3 credits		 A multicultural and interdisciplinary stylistic approach will be used to study selected examples of American architecture, painting, and sculpture from the 17th century to the Armory Show of 1913. Some consideration will be given to Indiana architecture and painting.

H347
Art from 1950 to the Present

3 credits		 Deals with European and American painting and sculpture from abstract expressionism to the present. Topics include post-painterly abstraction, pop art, minimal art, conceptual art, body and performance art, photorealism, site and architectural sculpture, and installations.

H348
History of Photography

3 credits		 This course is a critical examination and in-depth study of photography from 1839 until the present. The general approach is from an artistic and cultural viewpoint, stressing the development of photography as a medium of personal artistic expression as well as its relationship to broader artistic ideas and sociocultural issues.

H349
History of Twentieth-Century Crafts

3 credits		 A survey of 20th-century crafts from the Bauhaus to the present. Uses of clay, fiber, glass, wood, and metal will be covered and the function of crafts in society. Emphasis is mainly historical, but techniques will be discussed.

H351-H352
African Art I and II

3 credits		 First semester: Art of sub-Saharan Africa with particular attention given to the artistic traditions of the western Sudan and Atlantic coast to the Niger River. Second semester: Art from the Niger-Benue through the Cameroons and Ogowe River valley to the Congo River basin and Zaire. This course will examine the historical methods, stylistic classifications, and ethnographic contexts in which African art is created and studied.

H355
Arts of the American Indian

3 credits		 Survey of Native American Indian arts from pre-Columbian cultures to the 19th century. Particular attention is given to the arts of Meso-America, Eastern United States, American Southwest Plains, and Northwest Coast.

H361-H362
Asian Art I and II

3 credits		 Major art forms from the Islamic cultures of western and central Asia, the Hindu cultures of India and Southeast Asia, and the Buddhist, Tao, and Shinto cultures of East Asia are discussed.

H400
Topics and Methods in Art History

3 credits		 Critical examination of important topics and methods from the history of art, using the seminar approach. Content may vary according to the specialty of the instructor. May be repeated up to three times for a maximum of 9 credit hours.

H402
The Roots of Modernism: 1905-1915

3 credits		 This seminar deals with the decade in the early 20th century that saw the rise of drastically new attitudes and styles in painting and sculpture. From the first group exhibit of the fauves in 1905 until the arrival of Marcel Duchamp in New York in 1915, the foundations for future developments in art were laid for the 20th century.

H403
Art Museum Studies

3 credits		 Designed to provide insight into the various functions and activities of the art museum, with emphasis on professional opportunities. Administration, conservation, education, and exhibition are some of the areas covered. Includes an introduction to the history, present-day operation, and future of the art museum in America.

H404
Art of the Past Two Decades

3 credits		 A seminar focusing on directed research into the art, critical writing, and conceptual attributes of current art. Topics include postmodernism, appropriation, feminism, multiculturalism, deconstruction, and semiotics.

H407
Historical Painting Techniques

3 credits		 Introduction to materials and techniques used in fresco, encaustic, egg tempera, and resin-oil glaze painting. Each unit is introduced by a slide lecture illustrating major historical examples of the painting medium to be explored. Remaining studio time is devoted to the actual painting processes.

H410
Art Theory and Criticism

 This course examines a cross-section of theories that underpin current discussions and developments in the visual arts. The course also examines the nature and goals of art criticism, including how different theories help frame the primary concerns and controversies within art criticism.

H413
Art and Archaeology of Greece

3 credits		 Art and archaeology of Greece from about 1000 B.C. through the Hellenistic period. Special attention given to the development of Greek architecture, sculpture, and vase painting. Equivalent to Classical Studies C413; students may receive credit for only one of these courses.

H414
Art and Archaeology of Rome

3 credits		 Development of Roman architecture, sculpture, and painting from the beginning through the fourth century AD. Consideration given to the major archaeological sites. Continuation of H413, but H413 is not a prerequisite. Equivalent to Classical Studies [C414]; students may receive credit for only one of these courses.

H418
Myth and Reality in Greek Art

3 credits		 An introduction to Greek iconography (the study of images) that explores contemporary approaches to narration and representation. The course examines the illustration of myth, history, and everyday life in relation to ancient society. Equivalent to Classical Studies [A418]; students may receive credit for only one of these courses.

H420
The Artist in the Renaissance

3 credits		 This course examines the changing role of artists in Renaissance cities, from anonymous craftsmen in the late Middle Ages to celebrity personalities in the 16th century. Workshop structure, relationships with patrons, and competition between artists provide contexts for interpreting Renaissance art and exploring central questions in Renaissance Art History.

H495
Problems in Art History

1-3 credits		 Directed study in art history for independent research and/or special external programs. May be repeated three times for a maximum of 9 credit hours.

H497
Educational Opportunities Abroad

1-6 credits		 A variable-credit course designed to allow credit for exceptional opportunities in art history study and travel outside the United States.

Graduate Courses

H523
History of Printmaking

3 credits		 This course explores the history, development, and significance of printmaking in Western Europe, with a focus on the period from 1400 to 1900. This period saw the invention of the printing press and the photograph and the development woodcuts, engravings, etchings, and lithographs. Major artists and the uses of prints will be studied. Prerequisite: Graduate student or consent of instructor.

H561
The Artist in the Renaissance

3 credits		 This course examines the changing role of artists in Renaissance cities, from anonymous craftsmen in the late Middle Ages to celebrity personalities in the 16th century. Workshop structure, relationships with patrons, and competition between artists provide contexts for interpreting Renaissance art and exploring central questions in Renaissance Art History. Prerequisite: Graduate student or consent of instructor.

H560
Visual Culture: A Visual Studies Approach

3 credits		 An introduction to visual studies, an interdisciplinary approach to the study of visual culture that emphasizes the social ramifications of the visual. Prerequisite: Graduate student or consent of instructor.

H610
Art Theory and Criticism

3 credits		 This course examines a cross-section of theories that underpin cureent discussions and developments in the visual arts. This course also examines the nature and goals of art criticism, including how different theories help frame the primary concerns and controversies within art criticism. Prerequisite: Graduate student or consent of instructor.