Department of Art History

This Intensive Writing (IW) course will give you the opportunity to learn about and discuss many varieties of American visual culture from painting and sculpture to architecture, photography, film, graphic design, and the decorative arts produced in a nation undergoing profound social, economic, and technological changes. Evolving transportation systems, communications technologies, and commercial markets enabled American artists to operate on a global stage, while an expanding visual field led to revealing encounters between fine art and mass culture, the handmade and the factory made, the museum and the street. We will consider how an increasingly diverse array of artists made prominent claims for the nation's visual attention and investigate new roles for art in private and very public spaces. Readings, discussions, take-home exams, and research-based papers will introduce you to important recent developments in American art scholarship in addition to a wide range of illuminating primary sources.