Art History 201
Ancient to Gothic (or Caves to Cathedrals)
Instructor: Vicki Artimovich
Fall Quarter, 2006
Office: C152
Office Hours: 10:30-11:30 daily and half hour before and after evening class.
Office phone: 425-564-2629
FINAL EXAM: AM - Monday, Dec. 4, 2006
PM - Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006
Course materials online: http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum/materials/Fall2006/ART.asp
Find the item number for your class and click on Artimovich V
TEXTS
REQUIRED: Gardner's Art Through the Ages-The Western Perspective by Kleiner and Mamiya. (12th Edition) (Note: the above text also comes in paperback. There are two paperback volumes that make up the whole book. You need to buy only the first volume for this class. It should cover the caves Prehistoric through Gothic.)
OR: If you already have a copy of Janson's History of Art or Hartt's Art, you may use a recent edition of either one of these, OR if you already have an older edition of the Gardner text, fine (but no older than the 9th edition, please). If you are very low on money, I do have a couple of older editions of these books you may borrow for the quarter. Talk to me after class.
RECOMMENDED: A Short Guide to Writing About Art by Sylvan Barnet (on reserve at the Library). A short, concise book that helps you to write essays about art -- very highly recommended. Also contains everything you ever wanted to know about footnotes and bibliographies and research papers. A MUST for those of you who choose to do the Research Paper and for those who have trouble writing about anything.
TESTS/QUIZZES/PAPERS/PROJECTS
2 quizzes during the quarter, each one 50% objective (Slide Identification) and 50% subjective (Essay). Approximately one quiz every three weeks covering the material presented since the previous quiz (except for essay questions which may include material from earlier sections).
Slides will be available for review just outside my office in the lobby of the C Building. I always choose slides for the quizzes from those on display.
1 Final Exam - Comprehensive
1 Research Paper OR Art Project (I hope you will try the Art Project, even if you believe you are not at all "artistic"... you may surprise yourself.)
Grading
Average of Quizzes = 1/3 of your grade
Research Paper or Project = 1/3 of your grade
FINAL EXAM = 1/3 of your grade
The Research Paper may consist of:
1. An in-depth study of one particular monument created within the time period of this course. How does this monument represent the culture that produced it? How does it function within the society that created it? How do we see it or appreciate it today? (These are just a few of the questions you might try to answer in such a paper.)
OR
2. A comparison of two works of art from two different cultures. How do they differ? Why? Is there anything similar about them? Why?
OR
3. New Research. Find the latest (1980s-1990s) research done on any monument. This will require work in periodicals, journals, art magazines, etc.
OR
4. Make a pilgrimage. Do some research on what a medieval pilgrimage was and then make an imaginary pilgrimage yourself. Describe how you travel, the sights you see and experiences you have. Describe every church you visit. (Most of the popular ones are still standing and you can find information on them in various books on Medieval architecture.) You might include a map tracing your route. The periods covered would be Romanesque and Gothic (mostly in France and/or Spain).
The three ideas presented above are only possibilities. If you come up with an idea of your own for a paper, tell me about it and I'll let you know if it's a workable subject. First and foremost, choose works of art that interest you; something that catches your eye or has aroused your curiosity. Look through the textbook for ideas as soon as possible.
For all papers: Minimum length: 6 pages (typed and double-spaced)
Maximum length: 8 pages (typed and double-spaced)
IMPORTANT:
All papers must include proper Footnotes (or Endnotes) and Bibliography, as explained in the Sylvan Barnet book, or the MLA Standards. The Bibliography should contain at least 3 sources (not including our textbook).
ALL PAPERS AND PROJECTS ARE DUE: AM - Tuesday, November 14,2006
PM - Tuesday, November 14, 2006
SOME HINTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL PAPER:
1. Proofread before you hand it in. (Remember, Computers do NOT proofread.) Do not trust Spell check or Grammar check
2. If you want me to look at a rough draft, fine. Give it to me at least a week before due date. This is particularly important for those of you whose first language is not English.
3. Number your pages.
4. DO NOT use any fancy folders or binders. Just plain white sheets of typing paper, double spaced, and stapled on upper left corner.
5. Use pictures (Xeroxes) and number them (i.e., Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.). Place the pictures at the end of paper before Bibliography. When you refer to your work of art within your text, use the correct Figure # so that the reader (me) can refer to the correct picture. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, come and ask me or check out the Barnet book which is on reserve for just such problems.
6. Never hand in a first draft. This paper represents one third of your grade. It should go through at least two or three (or more) drafts before you type your final copy. Also, always make a Xerox of your paper ... just in case my cat eats your original!
Choose one of the following projects:
Art Project #1
First ... DON'T PANIC!!! Everyone can be creative; everyone has an imagination. This project is meant to be FUN ... so HAVE FUN ... or else!
In Prehistoric, Ancient Greek and Roman, Egyptian, Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic Art (to mention a few of the areas we will cover) there are many recurring motifs. Some are religious, some mythological, and some secular or political. Take an ancient or medieval, motif or monument (it must be one we cover in class between now and the end of the quarter) and MODERNIZE IT. Make it "20th Century."
I have saved slides of some of my favorite projects from past quarters, so remind me to show them to you by the second or third week.
Try to avoid “over-used” or too popular pieces. Ask me if you are in doubt whether yours is one that’s been done a million times before. You may use any media available to you: paint, pen and ink drawing, water color, felt pens, photography, photocopies, mosaic, collage, etc. Be creative! Generally I discourage 3-dimensional projects because they’re just too large and difficult to handle, but if you really MUST sculpt, okay, but remember you’re the one who has to carry it!
IMPORTANT: If you use computer images make sure they are clear. If they are fuzzy or blurry try photocopying images from good reproductions in books instead. Projects will be graded on the uniqueness of your idea and your presentation. Think about how many changes you can make to the piece. Think about backgrounds, environment, clothing, etc. The more work that goes into this project, the better it will be. Remember, it’s one third of your grade!
ALSO: Include one typed sheet which explains your idea and how you worked it out and perhaps why? Make sure your name is on your project and on your typed sheet. Keep the two pieces separate.
The size of the project is up to you, but try to make it “poster size”. (i.e. Not so small you can’t see details, not so large you can’t carry it to class.) Please - no 3-dimensional projects.
Art Project #2
Photo Essay
Find at least two works of local public art that remind you of something we cover in Art History 201 (Caves to Gothic). Describe the pieces (or buildings) and discuss why they remind you of the ancient pieces. Do they serve a similar function? Do they have the same meaning? Do they "fit" into their modern environment?
Include at least 6 photographs of each piece or building you use. The written part should be 2-3 pages long, typed, & double-spaced.
ALL ART PROJECTS ARE DUE IN CLASS (We will have a class critique) on:
AM - Tuesday, November 15, 2005
PM - Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Damn, I thought you said 201 was easy…..!
READING ASSIGNMENTS - ART HISTORY 201
First, read the introduction to your textbook. Then, depending on which text you are using (see Page 1 of this syllabus), just keep up with the lectures. For example, if I’m covering Egyptian Art in class you should be reading about Egyptian Art in your textbook.
If you buy the “BIG” ART THROUGH THE AGES book, it will be good for all three quarters of Art History: 201, 202, and 203. If you buy the paper back version (2 volumes), Volume I is for Art History 201, Volume II is for Art History 202 and 203.
If you are not sure that your textbook will work for the class call me at 425-564-2629 or ask me in class.
The following is a rough outline of what we’ll be covering in class:
Week 1: Prehistoric cave paintings & sculpture (Lascaux). Megalithic structures: Stonehenge.
Week 2: Ancient Near East (Mesopotamian Art). Five cultures: Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Persian.
Week 3 & 4: Egyptian Art. Old, Middle and New Kingdom.
Week 4: Aegean Art. Three cultures: Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean.
Week 5 & 6: Greek Art. Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods.
Week 7: Etruscan and Roman Art.
Week 7 & 8: Roman Art. Late antiquity, Early Christian and Byzantine.
Week 8: Early Medieval Art. Hiberno-Saxon (Insular), Celtic, Vikings (Norsemen), Carolingian and Ottonian.
Week 9: Romanesque Art. French and Italian Romanesque.
Week 10: Gothic. French. Manuscripts.
There are also three outside readings for Art History 201 which will be on reserve for you in the library.
#1. Excerpts from the writings of Plato. Read this when we get to Greek Art.
#2. Excerpts from the writings of Marcus Aurelius. Read this when we get to Roman Art.
#3. Bernard and Suger, Writings on Church Architecture. Read this when we get to Gothic Art.
There are many good websites for images. Using the Search Engine, “Google,” go to “Images” (http://images.google.com), or try some of the websites listed below:
Art Through the Ages, http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M2&topic_code=6ED2&discipline_number=37&product_isbn_issn=0155083155
Go to menu to the right and click on “Student Companion Site.”
World Wide Artists Resources: Artists: Masters
http://wwar.com/categories/Artists?Masters?index.html
Links to sites about artists from the Renaissance to our own time, focused on contemporary topics.
OCAIW: Art Images on the Web
http://www.ocaiw.com/indexing.htm
This excellent site provides visual examples of architecture, sculpture, paintings and photography by some of the world’s greatest artists. A brief biography is also provided. Artists are listed alphabetically, according to medium.
www.eqyptianmuseum.gov.eg/maet.html. Fun site for Egyptian art.
Galleries and Museums
Use the websites below to find out what’s happening at galleries and museums around the world, as well as to discover virtual holdings that may be of interest to you.
Image Surfing
Web Gallery of Art
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/index1.html
According to the site, the Web Gallery of Art contains over 8,500 digital reproductions of European paintings and sculptures created between the years 1150 and 1800. A considerable number of the pictures are annotated and biographies of the most significant artists are included.
Google Image Search
An extremely useful image search engine which claims to be the most comprehensive on the Web, indexing over 150 million images. Keyword searches produce return pages with 20 thumbnails, each of which includes image size information and the URL of the source page. Clicking on a thumbnail produces a framed page with a larger image of the thumbnail above the full page on which the image was found.
Traditional Fine Arts Online
Links to sites focused on 18th to 20th century American representational art, including images, articles and essays, and museum calendars.
Many museums and libraries offer image databases that allow you to access materials in their archives, free of charge or for a price. Some of the best are listed below:
World Art Treasures
Masters of European Art from the Berger Foundation are accessible here in a series of virtual exhibitions. The site also includes a number of on-line presentations related to Europe and Asia. The section on China is particularly informative, providing timelines and historic overviews of the major time periods as they relate to the artifacts exhibited.
Spiro Architecture Slide Library
http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/query_forms/browse_spiro_form.html
This slide library allows you to view expandable images of buildings and other historical sites from around the world.
Notes: Try to keep ahead of the lectures. Read the chapter for the week during the weekend before, if possible. This way, when I say a name or a word you've never heard before, you might recognize it from your reading.
Take book notes. Underlining or making over passages in your text with "highlighters" is essentially useless. Take notes that you can carry around with you to study. (Don't carry the book around!)
Make time-lines to help yourself remember dates. I'll pass out a few towards the beginning of the quarter, but after that you're on your own. Just making a time-line for yourself is half of your studying finished. Round off dates to the nearest 10; i.e., don't memorize a date as 728, round it off to 730. I usually give about 30 years' leeway on dates (much more leeway given in early chapters).
Come to class. Most important: Just being here everyday and taking good notes should almost be enough to pass the course (plus keeping up with the readings). If you have to miss a class, get someone's notes or come and see me during my office hours and I'll fill in the gaps. Do not miss 2 or 3 days of class without talking to me – PLEASE!
Ask questions in class. ALWAYS!!! There is no such thing as a "stupid" question in this class. If you don't understand what I'm saying ... ASK. Get your money's worth!!!!!
Get to know someone in class as soon as possible so you can get notes if you must miss a class.
If at any time you feel lost, confused or completely weirded out ... come and talk to me during office hours.
BOOKS ON RESERVE IN LIBRARY
I have put the following books on RESERVE in our library. You may take them out for two-hour use in the library or take them home overnight. They should be helpful for those instances when the textbook doesn't give you enough information on a subject or something you just want to know a bit more about. The books are under my name, ARTIMOVICH, and the class - Art History 201.
1. Textbook: Gardner's Art Through The Ages, 10th Edition or 11th Edition
2. Spencer, Readings in Art History, Vol I, 3rd Edition
3. Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art. USE THIS BOOK!!! It explains footnotes, research papers, essays, etc, etc. It even includes sample Art History comparison essays, similar to the ones that you will be asked to write on quizzes.
4. P.M. Grand, Prehistoric Art
5. Seton Lloyd, Art of the Ancient Near East
6. Wolfhart Westendorf, Painting, Sculpting and Architecture of Ancient Egypt
7. Christa Schug-Wille, Art of the Byzantine World
8. Mortimer Wheeler, Roman Art and Architecture
9. John Boardman, Greek Art
10. Reynold Higgins, Minoan and Mycenaean Art
11. Georges Duby, History of Medieval Art
ACCOMODATION STATEMENT:
“Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Director of Disability Support Services, Room B132 (telephone 425-564-2498, to establish their eligibility for accommodation. In addition, students who require accommodation in classes must review those requirements with each instructor during the first week of the quarter.”