Department of Art History

In this course, we will explore the history of calligraphy in China, from the birth of writing in the Shang dynasty (c. 1300 BCE) through the development of different script types and the rise of the famous calligraphers to the invention of nonsense characters in the 20th century. The goals of this class are to sharpen our visual acuity and our powers of art-historical description, in addition to strenghtening our skills in analyzing primary documents and secondary scholarship. Lectures will emphasize formal analysis, comparative stylistic analysis, and social history; discussion readings will sample other methodologies. Writing assignments allow for practice in carrying out research and writing on a work of art. Students will also conduct object-based study of East Asian artworks at the Eskenazi Museum of Art.