Lecture (LEC)

• COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inq

• Above class open to undergraduates only
• Topic: Art and Architecture of Mesoamerica
• COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry credit

Topic: Art & architecture mesoamerica

This introductory course surveys the artistic production of Mesoamerica, the historic geographic region encompassing Mexico and Central America. Through a series of thematic units, we will look at the visual and material culture produced by the Olmec, Maya, and Mexica, as well as works created in Teotihuacán, Monte Albán, and West Mexico. How did ancestral Indigenous peoples shape cities and sacred landscapes? What was the socio-political role of mural programs? How and why did sculpture facilitate interactions between rulers and deities? Discussions will revolve around the cultural function of ball courts, stone sculpture, mural programs, pyramids, painted books, and hieroglyphic writing. We will also engage with present-day issues related to Indigenous activism, ethically-informed excavation practices, and the politics of museum display.

Lecture (LEC)

• COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inq

• Above class open to undergraduates only
• Topic: Neoclassicisms
• COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry credit
• Meeting location is arranged.

Topic: Neoclassicisms

What did Robespierre, Napoleon, Jefferson, Hitler, and James Hoban, the architect of the White House, have in common? They all loved Neoclassicism. But obviously, the love it for very different reasons and filled with very different political convictions. So what then has made antiquity one of the most desired and most fashionable styles across time and space? This class will explore this question, starting in eighteenth century France and ending in contemporary America. The formation of Neoclassicism in the second half of the 18th century was as much a political as an aesthetic endeavor. Fueled by the archaeological discoveries of long-lost cities, artists and patrons turned from the intimate playfulness of the Rococo to the stark bold outlines of an ancient vocabulary. Perceived by its champions as an antidote to the decadence of eighteenth-century style, Neoclassicism quickly spread through all of Europe. Soon, the French Revolution adopted the new style as the quintessential expression of its revolutionary vision. Only a few years later, however, Neoclassicism would serve a self-made monarch, Napoleon. From there it would move on to become the favorite idiom of democratic leaders and dictators. This course examines the artistic, social and religious implications of this aesthetic journey, looking at various national contexts and diverse media from painting and sculpture to prints and the popular press. It examines the discovery that antiquity wasn't "white" but brightly colored, while giving special attention to questions of gender, class, race, and queerness as a powerful subtext in what was often hailed as the project of constructing a European ideal. Last but not least it will reflect on the fact that most ancient statues have come down to us in fragments, and we will look at the reception of this fact by artists that are differently abled. The seminar is conceived as a research seminar, so a substantial part of the term will be dedicated to independent research and writing.